Children Of Blood & Bone Trailer Unveils Hit Fantasy Novel's Magic & Action In Epic New Adaptation

Paramount brings the epic fantasy story to life in the mesmerizing first Children of Blood and Bone trailer.

Based on the 2018 debut romantic fantasy novel of the same name by Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood of Bone chronicles Zélie Adebola in her efforts to restore magic to the kingdom Orïsha after the ruling class' suppression of her class of magic practitioners. The Paramount adaptation is directed by The Woman King's Gina Prince-Bythewood, with Children of Blood and Bone's theatrical release date currently set for January 15, 2027.

The first trailer for Children of Blood and Bone showcases Thuso Mbedu's debut as Zélie, as well as Damson Idris as Prince Inan and Amandla Stenberg as Princess Amari on an arduous journey. The new footage also teases some of the most anticipated moments from the novel as the adaptation unveils its iteration of the epic fictional country of Orïsha and the magic within. Check out the Children of Blood and Bone trailer below:

In addition to Mbedu, Idris, and Stenberg, the cast of the Children of Blood and Bone movie includes Tosin Cole as Tzain, Cynthia Erivo as Admiral Kaea, Lashana Lynch as Jumoke, Chiwetel Ejiofor as King Saran, Regina King as Queen Nehanda, Idris Elba as Lekan, Viola Davis as Mama Agba, and many more stars in the huge ensemble.

On July 27, ScreenRant attended the exclusive trailer launch for Children of Blood and Bone in New York City, which was followed by a conversation with director Gina Prince-Bythewood and cast members Thuso Mbedu, Tosin Cole, Lashana Lynch, Regina King, and Zackary Momoh. During the Q&A, the cast and Prince-Bythewood hyped the upcoming adaptation's epic scale, cultural relevance and thematic poignancy, and impressive action sequences and stunts.

Prince-Bythewood discussed having the stars of the film, including Mbedu and Cole, train for several months in order to do the majority of their own stunts, with Mbedu spending significant time training with a staff. The writer-director also spoke about her approach to the magic of Children of Blood and Bone, noting that the team did research into real-world phenomenons and traditions to inspire the fictional world's depiction, such as human skin emitting light and cultural scarification.

Lashana Lynch similarly dove into the deeper themes of Children of Blood and Bone's magic, breaking down the fantastical magical oppression in Orïsha as a metaphor for the real magic today that still exists within humanity and "in the mundane." Regina King also hyped the quality and scale of the fantasy movie's worldbuilding as well as the cultural impact it will have on the film industry, stating she believes there will be "storytelling on film that was before Children of Blood and Bone, and after."

The book in which Children of Blood and Bone adapts became notorious even prior to release for its impressive publishing deal, which was originally sold as a trilogy with film adaptation rights going to Fox 2000 Pictures. After 21st Century Fox was acquired by Disney, the movie became a Lucasfilm–20th Century Studios co-production, with Lucasfilm ultimately letting the film rights lapse in 2021. Therefore, a bidding war between studios began for Children of Blood and Bone's film rights, with Paramount Pictures ultimately winning them in January 2022.

Filming for Children of Blood and Bone wrapped in June 2025. Two sequel books, Children of Virtue and Vengeance and Children of Anguish and Anarchy, were published by Adeyemi in 2019 and 2024, respectively, with Paramount holding the film rights for the entire trilogy. However, the studio has yet to officially announce further development on adaptations of the second and third novels.