As 'Children of Blood and Bone' trailer drops, director tells why she turned down the film twice

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Set us as preferred The official trailer for the film adaptation of the African fantasy novel “Children of Blood and Bone” is making a splash online, and the director just revealed that she almost didn’t make the film.Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), the film stars a slew of A-list actors including Regina King, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Amandla Stenberg, Idris Elba, Tosin Cole, Viola Davis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lashana Lynch and Thuso Mbedu.The adaptation of the first installment of author Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling “Legacy of Orïsha” fantasy trilogy is slated to hit theaters Jan.

15.The story follows Zélie Adebola, a courageous young woman with dormant magical abilities who has drawn the attention of tyrannical King Saran, the ruler of the kingdom of Orïsha, a fictional country in an alternative precolonial Nigeria inhabited by two distinct ethnic groups: divîners (inherently magical people who have had their magic stolen by King Saran) and the non-magical kosidán.On Monday, Paramount held a “Children of Blood and Bone” trailer launch event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City.

In a discussion moderated by “Master of None” actor Lena Waithe, Prince-Bythewood and the cast talked about the making and almost-not-making of the film.According to Prince-Bythewood, helming “The Woman King” felt like the thing she’d been working toward her entire career.

“And then this came and it was something even bigger and in a space that we hadn’t got to see ourselves in, which was big epic fantasy,” she said.“And as much as I needed a little rest, I couldn’t say no.

And the beauty of this is that I was actually offered this film two different times over the last seven years.And both times I turned it down.”Prince-Bythewood admitted that she wasn’t emotionally...