The first trailer for Gina Prince Bythewood’s Children of Blood and Bone film adaptation has arrived.
Brought to life from a script by Bythewood and Tomi Adeyemi, the film is based on Adeyemi’s novel of the same name.
The clip opens on Lashana Lynch as Jumoke, mother of Thuso Mbedy’s Zélie Adebola, kneeling before a younger version of her daughter in desert sand.
“Orïsha was once a land where magic flowed through our people,” Lynch’s voice tells Zelie. “You were born with a gift greater than you know, but those who feared our power took it away from us.”
Set in the epic fantasy world of Orïsha, the story sees a young woman (Mbedu) embark on a quest to reclaim the magic that was violently stolen from her people. She and her brother ally with the daughter and son of the king (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to fight back against his brutal rule. Set to Beyonce’s “Energy (feat. Beam),” the trailer teases action in the form of battles via weapons and magical forces and conflict between those who wield magic and those who want a world without its existence.
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“Magic is a festering disease,” Ejiofor’s King Saran asserts. “Purge it.”
King Saran’s son, Inan (Damson Idris), has a large mantle to carry in a world where his father did away with magic, and he questions whether he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps in how he dons the crown.
Various Maji clans such as the Omi Clan, or Maji of Water, and Ikú Clan, or Maji of Life and Death, practice different forms of magic, with Omi Tiders wielding waves and Ikù Reapers, like Zelie’s mother, summoning souls.
“I know you miss her,” Viola Davis’ Mama Agba tells Zelie about her mother. “Your powers may be gone, but that does not change who you are. For years I have trained you because I believe you are the one. You can bring magic back.”
The Omi Clan’s shoreside village can be glimpsed, as can a vivid pink river. At one point, Mbedu’s main character becomes embedded with purple crystal-like objects that seem to enhance or unlock her powers.
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Children of Blood and Bone also stars Amandla Stenberg as Amari and Tosin Cole as Tzain while featuring Cynthia Erivo as Kaea, Zackary Momoh, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Regina King as Queen Nehanda and Idris Elba plays Lekan.
Executive producers include Jeff Waxman, Jennifer Madeloff, Tomi Adeyemi, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Marty Bowen, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary, Sophie Cassidy and Zack Conroy.
Producers include Wyck Godfrey, John Fischer, Isaac Klausner, Karen Rosenfelt, Matt Jackson. From Paramount Pictures in association with Domain Entertainment and 2.0 Entertainment, the Gina Prince-Bythewood film is also a Temple Hill and Sunswept Entertainment Production.
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Find more photos and first looks at the cast in character below:
English (US) ·