An upcoming adaptation of a popular young adult romantic fantasy novel has been on the news for all the wrong reasons. The Children of Blood and Bone was the 2018 debut novel of Nigerian-American novelist Tomi Adeyemi. Since then, it has gone on to be the first entry in the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy. The theatrical adaptation has been hotly anticipated by fans ever since its announcement; however, a recent controversy between Adeyemi and one of the film’s lead actresses may have soured the film’s importance even before it releases.
Adeyemi officially announced her distance from the film adaptation on July 4th, on an Instagram post. In it, she told her audience that she wouldn’t be posting about the film and that they can support her by purchasing any edition of the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy at a local independent children’s bookstore. Attached to the post was a screenshot of a text conversation between her and actress Amandla Stenberg, who was shown to be blocked.
Stenberg had previously been involved in controversy surrounding this project, particularly with her casting announcement. This was mainly due to her casting as one of Children of Blood and Bone’s central characters, Princess Amari, who is notably described as a dark-skinned character in the books.
Colorism accusations were quick to follow, and the debate hasn’t died down in the slightest. However, Adeyemi’s distancing away from the project has only made these debates more volatile. This is hardly the first time lighter skinned black actors and mixed actors have been cast to play black and African characters in films. In the upcoming DC television show Lanterns, popular Green Lantern John Stewart is being portrayed by Aaron Pierre, an actor who is notably lighter in tone than the comic book character, who has been notable for consistently being portrayed as a Black American with dark skin since his inception in 1971.
However, what likely rubbed fans and Adeyemi the wrong way was the importance of Princess Amari’s skin color in the original story’s narrative, which focused heavily on the impacts of colorism. In the book, Princess Amari’s dark skin sets her apart from her royal family, who favor lighter skin tones, in addition to her mother, who pressures Amari to lighten her skin tone.
