“I’ve never seen someone so strong and quiet at the same time.”

After months of anticipation, Children Of Blood And Bone is finally ready to let its story take centre stage. 

Based on Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling fantasy novel, the upcoming adaptation has given fans their first official glimpse behind the scenes, offering a look at the world of Orïsha.

With the cast already praising Gina’s leadership and collaborative approach, the first look has only added to the excitement surrounding the film – with the first full trailer expected to drop on 28 July ahead of its cinema release on 15 January 2027.

For Zackary Momoh, joining Children Of Blood And Bone meant finally getting the opportunity to work with a filmmaker he had admired for years. While he said he already considered Gina "a friend", collaborating with her on set gave him a whole new appreciation for the way she approaches storytelling.

"I've always seen Gina as a trailblazer," he said. "But to be working with her as a collaborator, I think sometimes you never really know how effective or how contagious someone is."

Rather than getting caught up in the scale of the production, Zackary said Gina always encouraged the cast to focus on the emotional connection within each scene.

"What I've respected and loved about working with Gina is that beyond all of that, she brings it back to the nuance, the subtext. What is it, amongst all of this big flashiness, what is the thing that's going to connect the most?"

He recalled the director encouraging the cast to revisit scenes again and again until they found exactly what they were looking for.

"I remember you just go ahead, 'Let's go again. Let's go again. Let's go again,' until we find the granular."

For Zackary, Gina's attention to detail is what every actor hopes to find in a director.

"I think, as a performer, that's what you can really ask for. Someone that sees you and wants people to see the small in you as well — the tiny, the granular."

Lashana Lynch explained that her trust began long before cameras started rolling. Thinking back to their first meeting, she remembered one word the director used to describe herself that immediately stood out.

"When I first met Gina... one of the words that popped out to me in how you described yourself was 'guttural'. Your decisions are guttural, your instincts are guttural, your choices are guttural."

Lashana said that made her feel she was in safe hands from the very beginning.

"I thought, okay, this is a woman that I've respected for a long time, who makes decisions from a very rooted place, and I can trust that she's gonna make decisions that will keep me safe on a set where I'm gonna try my best to give everything."

She went on to explain that Gina's confidence in her also helped her push past her own doubts, especially when it came to the film's demanding stunt work.

"It came at a time when I was like, stunts, sure, but not all my stunts. I'm not doing all of them because I'm not ready for that."

Looking back, Lashana said the experience changed the way she saw herself.

"I pushed past where I thought I was and became ready for a different version of myself through your belief in what I could do."

Thuso Mbedu revealed that one of Gina's biggest strengths is how involved she is throughout the creative process, joking that she regularly bombarded the director with questions while preparing for the role.

"The amount of texting, like, 'Gina, look at this extract. Look at this extract. What does it mean?' with regards to the screenplay and all that jazz."

According to Thuso, Gina never made those conversations feel like a burden.

"Her just being there patiently, talking me through things."

She said it continued throughout rehearsals, where Gina sat with the cast, listened to their thoughts, and even took notes while they discussed their characters.

Thuso laughed that she hates being cold, explaining that if she had to take off her jacket for a scene, Gina would often do the same: "And then she would take the jacket off so that she's cold with us."

For Thuso, that summed up exactly who Gina is.

"She will never ask us to do something that she wouldn't do."

Regina King called Gina "the epitome of strength" while acknowledging the scale of bringing a project like Children Of Blood And Bone to life.

"This was not easy, and the team that you put together to achieve this – and I'm sure they all can attest to your collaboration," Regina said, praising both Gina and the team.

She also highlighted the balance Gina strikes as both a writer and director, saying it's something she's rarely seen.

"A lot of writer-directors hold on too tight and a lot of them don't hold on tight enough, and you walk that line so beautifully," she shared. "I've never seen someone so strong and quiet at the same time, and that's a beautiful thing to witness."

She ended by saying she hopes she gets to experience that leadership again.

"I'm just so grateful that I got to witness a front-row seat to that, and I just hope to witness it some more."

For Tosin Cole, what stood out most was Gina's openness. He said she created an environment where raw conversations were encouraged.

"With Gina it's like you're able to have real and uncomfortable conversations, and she's not gonna shy away from it," he explained.

Whether it was discussing the script or questioning creative decisions, Tosin said Gina always welcomed those conversations: "It's like, alright, cool, like, why are we doing this? Or, like, why are we doing that? And she'll have an answer, and it's like, 'alright, cool.'"

For Tosin, this translated into trust and ultimately brought the best out of everyone involved.

"She pushed everyone, do you know what I mean?"