Author Tomi Adeyemi quietly withdrew from her scheduled New York Comic Con panel for her new book, "The Siren," with no public announcement from either Adeyemi or NYCC organizer ReedPop ahead of its planned Saturday slot. The cancellation left fans puzzled about the timing and reason behind her exit.
A source tells Variety that Adeyemi canceled the panel last month, and it was removed from the NYCC schedule at that time without fanfare. The panel had originally been set for Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1:30 p.m. ET at the New York Javits Center.
Representatives for Adeyemi, her agency CAA, and "The Siren" publisher Macmillan Children's Publishing Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
The cancellation comes after a turbulent year for Adeyemi tied to the film adaptation of her novel "Children of Blood and Bone." Earlier this year, she criticized the production in a TikTok video and in an interview with The Guardian, saying the experience left her wanting to "never" adapt another of her novels into a film again. Adeyemi described the process as "the worst thing I have ever had to live through," saying it left her "hyperventilating and sobbing." She also said she was "still being antagonized behind the scenes" and had "suffered such severe somatic pain and so many panic attacks" after filming concluded, though she did not specify what caused the distress.
Adeyemi previously shared a since-deleted TikTok video appearing to show a group chat that included the film's star, Amandla Stenberg, in which Adeyemi wrote, "Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me." According to the L.A. Times, she also appeared to block Stenberg following the exchange. Stenberg's casting had previously drawn controversy, as Adeyemi had described the character in her books as having "dark copper skin," while Stenberg is a mixed-race actress.
"Children of Blood and Bone" is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and stars Stenberg alongside Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King, Idris Elba and Viola Davis. The film is set to hit theaters on Jan. 15.
Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
