Children Of Blood And Bone Trailer: Thuso Mbedu Leads A Fight To Restore Magic

The Children of Blood and Bone trailer has arrived, offering the first look at Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ambitious adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling fantasy novel. Thuso Mbedu stars as Zélie Adebola, a young woman who sets out to restore the magic violently taken from her people in the fictional kingdom of Orïsha.

The trailer opens with Lashana Lynch as Zélie’s mother, Jumoke, speaking to a younger Zélie in the desert. She explains that magic once flowed through the people of Orïsha before those who feared its power took it away.

Watch the trailer here:

Thuso Mbedu’s Zélie Takes On King Saran

The story follows Zélie and her brother Tzain as they join forces with Amari, the daughter of King Saran, and his son Inan. Together, they face a kingdom ruled by Chiwetel Ejiofor’s brutal King Saran, who is determined to eradicate magic completely.

“Magic is a festering disease,” King Saran declares in the trailer, before ordering that it be purged. Inan, played by Damson Idris, meanwhile appears torn between his father’s beliefs and the responsibility of eventually taking the crown.

The trailer also introduces the different Maji clans of Orïsha. The Omi Clan, or Maji of Water, can control waves while the Ikú Clan, known as the Maji of Life and Death, can summon souls. Zélie’s mother is revealed to be an Ikù Reaper.

Viola Davis, Idris Elba And Regina King Join The Cast

Viola Davis plays Mama Agba, who has trained Zélie and believes she is destined to bring magic back. “Your powers may be gone, but that does not change who you are,” she tells her.

The footage teases battles involving weapons and magical forces, alongside striking locations including the Omi Clan’s coastal village and a vivid pink river. Zélie is also shown covered in purple crystal-like formations that appear to unlock or amplify her abilities.

The cast includes Amandla Stenberg as Amari, Tosin Cole as Tzain, Cynthia Erivo as Kaea, Zackary Momoh, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Regina King as Queen Nehanda and Idris Elba as Lekan.

The film has been adapted by Prince-Bythewood and Adeyemi. Its executive producers include Adeyemi, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Marty Bowen and Pete Chiappetta among others. The trailer is set to Beyoncé’s “Energy (feat. Beam)” and gives audiences their first substantial glimpse of the world being built for the film.