“Children of Blood and Bone” Panel Featured a Sneak Peek Into the Magical World of Orïsha at NYCC 2026

The atmosphere was electric at the “Children of Blood and Bone” panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday, Oct. 11. Moderated by “Knives Out” director Rian Johnson, the panel introduced NYCC audiences to director Gina Prince-Bythewood (her first time at the convention) and the cast of the film. 

A World Built With the Diaspora in Mind

The crowd matched the vibes of the film, decked out in traditional African outfits, makeup, and hair. It was a gorgeous combination of culture and fandom, a spice that Comic Con needed. Johnson and Prince-Bythewood chatted for a good 15 minutes about the film, the process of making the film, her reaching out to him for advice, and the passion helped fuel her to bring this story to life. The mutual respect the pair of directors had for each other was palpable. Because the two know each other so well, the conversation flowed comfortably. 

Prince-Bythewood envisioned “Children of Blood and Bone” as an intimately epic, grounded fantasy by heavily incorporating real-world African geography, cultures, and physical sets built in South Africa rather than relying solely on CGI. Collaborating with top designers like Hannah Beachler and Charlese Antoinette Jones, she crafted an authentic, limitless world that honors the broader African diaspora. 

“What does this world look like? What do people dress like? What does it feel like? All those questions are fascinating to do in the fantasy, and the beauty of it is that you get to let your mind have no guardrails. You just think, what do I want us to feel like and look like and everything seems to be possible?” Prince-Bythewood shared with the audience.

Connecting the Cast to Their Roots

Then “the Avengers,” as Johnson called them earlier in the panel, were brought out to much applause. Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg, Tosin Cole, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, and Chiwetel Ejiofor joined the directors to discuss their roles in the film and, in particular, the strong bonds and relationships between their characters.

While no one mentioned the elephant in the room, Stenberg vaguely alluded to the situation with author Tomi Adeyemi (who ended up not showing up to the panel) with her response to a question from Johnson:

“I found out about the project by reading the script. What is this dense, beautiful, immersive experience that I’m having? I was so amazed by the narratives, by the characters, how real and three-dimensional they felt. Then I read the book and I fell head over heels in love with that as well. Shed some tears, connected deeply with everything it was about, and went through the audition process, and then a lot happened. And now I’m here.” 

The crowd responded with knowing laughter and applause and everyone moved on with the conversation.

It was an enlightening and inspiring conversation from every actor talking about how preparing for the film helped them connect a little deeper with their roots, while also being excited about the magic of it all. 

A highlight was Erivo discussing her role as the somewhat villainous Admiral Kaea, who has a romantic relationship with King Saran in the books. Erivo has vast knowledge in playing complicated characters with Elphaba under her belt.

“She is troubled and kind of wonderful to play. I think I spent such a long time playing heroes, and this one is, for all intents and purposes, a villain, but she doesn’t believe that herself. I just think she’s a really special individual who believes deeply in what she’s doing,” she shared.

An NYCC-Exclusive Look at the Magic

The audience not only got to see an extended trailer for “Children of Blood and Bone,” but were treated to exclusive footage of Zélie Adebola training with Mama Agba and her fellow trainees. The fighting between the girls felt almost like a dance, which Mbedu talked about earlier.

“Danny Hernandez, our stunt coordinator, built a visual language, a choreographical language of her fight style, which was a mix of different things, like Wushu, Capoeira, other African inspired fighting styles.”

The scene quickly establishes two things: the white-haired divîners (unawakened maji) are deeply disliked and reviled by the kosidan (the non-magical ruling/noble class) and how much Zélie has to swallow her dignity to survive each day. The raw anger and contempt Mbedu shows when the guards come in is so quintessential to the character she plays.  We can’t forget about Viola Davis who plays Mama Agba with such grace and power, it’s hard to imagine the movie being made without her. 

Last Thoughts

While a January release date isn’t the most ideal timing, there seemed to be high anticipation and excitement for this movie, judging on the crowd that showed up to the panel. The cast’s energy is great and they seemed to all be very proud of the project they’ve made. It doesn’t appear that the author controversy is turning potential audiences off, in fact, it’s drawing more attention to the film. 

If marketed properly, Paramount has a sleeper hit on their hands.

“Children of Blood and Bone” releases January 15, 2027 in theaters.

Synopsis:

In the epic fantasy world of Orïsha, a young woman goes on a quest to reclaim the magic that was violently stolen from her people. She and her brother ally with the daughter and son of the king to fight back against his brutal rule. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE features a stellar cast including Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg, Tosin Cole, featuring Academy Award® nominee Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Zackary Momoh, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Academy Award®  nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, Academy Award®  winner Regina King, with Idris Elba and Academy Award®  winner Viola Davis.