Children of Blood and Bone trilogy scored a high-profile book deal and seven-figure movie deal in 2017.
This made it the most anticipated fantasy book debut of 2018 and maybe even the most anticipated movie adaptation.
Since its release, the book received several critical acclaim and recognition, including a 25-week run on the NY Times bestsellers list. It was also announced that the movie was in development at Fox 2000/Temple Hill Productions, the production company behind Love, Simon and The Maze Runner trilogy.
Now, Tomi Adeyemi herself has announced that Nigerian-American director, Rick Famuyiwa, is set to lead the adaptation of Adeyemi's highly anticipated debut to the big screen.
Famuyiwa is known for his afro-centric films "Dope" and "Brown Sugar". Hollywood Reporter reports that he is also going to produce under the newly launched company Verse with Scott Falconer. Temple Hill will also be producing along with Sunswept Entertainment.
The film’s script is written by Mary Poppins Returns screenwriter David Magee.
Children of Blood and Bone, the first book in the trilogy, is unapologetically Nigerian, soaked and inspired by many Nigerian myths and legends. Many places are named after Nigerian cities, characters wear traditional Nigerian fashion and there's a spiritual connection to the country.
The book has been compared to the award-winning film, Black Panther, both by readers and Adeyemi herself.
We wonder if the movie will be as successful.
The second book in the trilogy series, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, is due to be published June 4, 2019.
Tomi Adeyemi controversy with Nora Roberts
In a candid open letter, devoid of any names or book titles, American veteran author, Nora Roberts has shared her thoughts on this debacle with Nigerian-American author Tomi Adeyemi, rather candidly.
This is all due to the tweet made by the Children of Blood and Bone author, on Tuesday, November 27, claiming that the veteran author lifted her book title.
With pictures comparing Adeyemi's 25-week NY Times Bestseller 'Children of Blood and Bone' and Nora Roberts' upcoming sequel 'Of Blood and Bone', Adeyemi tweeted:"It would be nice if an artist could create something special without another artist trying to shamelessly profit off it."
Some hours later, the author retracted her statement, saying that she now believes the titles were created in isolation. However, there was still a need for Roberts to clear the air, seeing as she was still being attacked and accused of plagiarism by an online mob.
In the blog post, she called out the Nigerian-American author as unprofessional and lacking basis for the accusations. She also said she is "sickened by" and "disgusted" at the people who would feel free to say vicious things about her though they do not know her.
The main reason for her public address was, though Adeyemi had put out an apology, she has so far done nothing to put out the fires which she had "lit the match, foolishly".