Children of Blood and Bone trailer sends Thuso Mbedu after lost magic
Paramount’s first Children of Blood and Bone trailer previews Zélie’s fight to restore magic in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s fantasy film.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The first Children of Blood and Bone trailer is here, giving a charged first look at Thuso Mbedu as Zélie Adebola in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film version of Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling fantasy novel.
Paramount Pictures’ preview introduces Orïsha, a world where magic has been stripped from Zélie’s people and where the fight to bring it back pulls her into open conflict with a king determined to erase it for good.
Prince-Bythewood directs from a screenplay she wrote with Adeyemi. The film is based on Adeyemi’s novel of the same name.
What is Children of Blood and Bone about?
Children of Blood and Bone follows Zélie, a young woman who sets out to recover the magic taken from her people. According to the film’s story details, she joins forces with her brother and the king’s children as they resist the ruler’s brutal control of Orïsha.
The trailer opens with Lashana Lynch as Jumoke, Zélie’s mother, kneeling in desert sand before a younger Zélie. In voiceover, Jumoke tells her daughter that Orïsha once had magic running through its people and that Zélie was born with more power than she understands.
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays King Saran, the monarch who sees magic as a threat. In the trailer, he calls it “a festering disease” and orders it purged.
Damson Idris appears as Inan, Saran’s son, who carries the pressure of inheritance in a kingdom shaped by his father’s war on magic. The footage shows him questioning what kind of crown he is meant to wear.
Viola Davis plays Mama Agba, who tells Zélie that losing her powers has not changed who she is. In the trailer, Mama Agba says she has trained Zélie for years because she believes Zélie can restore magic.
Who is in the Children of Blood and Bone cast?
The cast includes Mbedu as Zélie, Amandla Stenberg as Amari, Tosin Cole as Tzain, Ejiofor as King Saran, Idris as Inan and Davis as Mama Agba.
The film also features Cynthia Erivo as Kaea, Regina King as Queen Nehanda, Idris Elba as Lekan, Lashana Lynch as Jumoke, Zackary Momoh, Richard Mofe-Damijo and Bukky Bakray as Binta.
The trailer also flashes several Maji clans with distinct kinds of magic. The Omi Clan, described as Maji of Water, includes Tiders who command waves. The Ikú Clan, described as Maji of Life and Death, includes Reapers such as Zélie’s mother, who can summon souls.
Set to Beyoncé’s “Energy (feat. Beam),” the footage shows weapon fights, magical clashes, a shoreside Omi village and a bright pink river. One moment shows Zélie marked with purple, crystal-like formations that appear to connect to her abilities.
The film comes from Paramount Pictures in association with Domain Entertainment and 2.0 Entertainment, and is a Temple Hill and Sunswept Entertainment production.
Producers include Wyck Godfrey, John Fischer, Isaac Klausner, Karen Rosenfelt and Matt Jackson. Executive producers include Jeff Waxman, Jennifer Madeloff, Adeyemi, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Marty Bowen, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary, Sophie Cassidy and Zack Conroy.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.