Author Tomi Adeyemi has publicly separated herself from the movie based on her novel, telling fans in a series of comments that she has not watched the film and does not plan to. Responding to a commenter who noted that many of her fans would still show up to support her despite this, Adeyemi wrote that she doesn’t mind people going to see it, explaining that she wrote the story “for us” and fought for it, but that she is “laying down her sword” and officially separating her name from the project because she can’t continue being hurt and attacked behind the scenes.
In a separate exchange, when a fan expressed sadness over the news, Adeyemi apologized, saying she tried everything she could to make it work — emphasizing the word “everything.” That response prompted pushback from another commenter, who pointed out that Adeyemi had co-written the script, produced the film, appeared visibly excited during a set visit in Cape Town, and had previously told a podcast host the film would be great because “we’re all in there.” The fan asked why her tone had shifted so dramatically.
Adeyemi clarified her role in a follow-up reply, stating that what she actually did was spend 14 years working to make the film a reality, but that all final creative decisions belonged to the director, and always had. She added pointedly that anyone who was told those decisions were hers “was lied to on purpose,” suggesting a rift between her and others involved in the production over creative control and how her involvement has been portra