Watch the Official Children of Blood and Bone Trailer Starring Thuso Mbedu, Viola Davis & Ayra Starr

Promotional trailer artwork for Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, featuring character portraits of Damson Idris, Thuso Mbedu, and Viola Davis alongside the official title logo.

Are you ready? Because the wait for a real look into Orïsha is officially over. Paramount Pictures has dropped the official teaser trailer for Children of Blood and Bone, the highly anticipated feature adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s global bestselling YA fantasy novel—and it is everything fans have been holding their breath for.

Helmed by The Woman King director Gina Prince–Bythewood, the epic fantasy arrives in theatres and IMAX on January 15, 2027. From the very first frame, the teaser makes one thing clear: the mythical world of Orïsha is coming to life on a scale Hollywood rarely grants Afro-fantasy stories.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood at the Children of Blood and Bone exclusive trailer launch at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The trailer opens in the desert, where a young Zélie sits across from her mother—played by Oscar winner Viola Davis—who offers words of ancestral wisdom before the footage plunges into Orïsha’s dark history. Sweeping visuals reveal lush rainforests, floating water villages, and sacred ancestral grounds, framing the tragic story of how magic was violently stolen from the maji by a ruthless monarchy.

Tosin Cole, Thuso Mbedu, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Regina King, Lashana Lynch, and Zackary Momoh at the exclusive Children of Blood and Bone trailer launch in Brooklyn.

At the heart of the rebellion is Thuso Mbedu as Zélie Adebola. The footage showcases Mbedu in high-octane combat training—wielding a staff, channeling glowing purple and blue magic, ancient sigils burning onto skin, and facing off against legendary snow leoponaires. It all culminates in a breathtaking display of earth and spirit magic in a forest battle that proves Zélie is ready for war.

Beyond the visuals, the film boasts one of the most stacked ensembles assembled for a fantasy blockbuster. Starring alongside Mbedu are Damson Idris (Prince Inan), Amandla Stenberg (Princess Amari), and Tosin Cole (Tzain). They are joined by heavyweights Cynthia Erivo (Admiral Kaea), Chiwetel Ejiofor (King Saran), Regina King (Queen Nehanda), Idris Elba (Lekan), and Viola Davis (Mama Agba), alongside powerhouse Nigerian talent including Richard Mofe–Damijo, Ayra Starr, Shamz Garuba, Bukky Bakray, and Temi Fagbenle.

Thuso Mbedu at the exclusive trailer launch event for Children of Blood and Bone at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

For those new to the lore, Children of Blood and Bone follows Zélie’s perilous quest to restore magic to her people alongside her brother Tzain and rogue royals Amari and Inan. Adapted from Adeyemi’s smash-hit 2018 debut novel, the film promises to be a landmark moment for Black high fantasy when it hits cinemas and IMAX on January 15, 2027.

Watch the trailer below

Regina King attends the exclusive Children of Blood and Bone trailer launch event in Brooklyn, New York.

Tosin Cole attends the exclusive Children of Blood and Bone trailer launch event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Lashana Lynch attends the exclusive Children of Blood and Bone trailer launch event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

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Photo Credit: Children of Blood and Bone/Instagram