Actor John Boyega has said he would “absolutely drop everything” to star in the upcoming adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s young adult fantasy novel Children of Blood and Bone. Boyega paid tribute to Adeyemi in an essay for Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020, talking about the importance of representation and hailed her as the “god of ideas.”
Adeyemi’s series is rooted in the pantheon of Yoruba gods and is set in a universe where magic, bestowed by Yoruba deities, has been suppressed and its users called maji are oppressed. It follows a young girl called Zélie Adebola, who is descended from maji, and her quest to restore magic to the world.
Boyega described Adeyemi’s book as a “cross between Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia and Yoruba gods”, saying that he reread it multiple times then listened to the audiobook.
He said, “The characters were larger than life but with very human problems and issues. And the novel spoke to my self-identity and culture as a Nigerian, in its social commentary and in its depiction of both magic and oppression.”
He continued, “It’s so important to have representation within books like this. In school, I realised that only when my teacher considered my point of view did learning become easier.”
Adeyemi’s book was picked up by Disney last year and has since signed This Is Us writer Kay Oyegun to pen the screenplay. Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy, who worked with Boyega on the recent trilogy, has also signed on and Dope’s Rick Famuyiwa is set to direct.
Boyega celebrated what the project meant for diversity in the film industry. He said, “The big-screen adaptation will hire a lot of people and bring more representation to our industry—all that comes directly from Tomi’s imagination. She is going to be very powerful when it comes to bringing stories and ideas to the forefront.”
“I would absolutely drop everything to be in the film. If I missed the opportunity to be a part of it, it would be like missing history,” he said.
Adeyemi celebrated being included in 2020's Time 100 on Twitter, thanking Boyega for the "beautiful tribute." He responded to her tweet, "Excited to see you rise! Xxx"
If Boyega were to be cast in the Adeyemi adaptation, possible lead roles that could be open to the star include Inan, the tortured prince of Orïsha, or Tzain, the level-headed brother of the series’ protagonist. As of now, no actors have been cast in the project.
