Like so many of us, fans of fantasy author Tomi Adeyemi can’t wait for 2026 to reach its final months. The bestselling writer’s next book, Sirens, is set to drop in the fall, then the big-screen adaptation of her 2018 hit, Children of Blood and Bone, will arrive in theaters on January 15. But instead of the joyful anticipation they expected, Adeyemi’s admirers are worried. As VF’s Rebecca Ford reports, the author was granted a remarkable amount of involvement with the movie, which counts Viola Davis, Idris Elba, and Regina King among its all-Black cast. But she’s distanced herself from the production, saying publicly that her experience with the film caused her physical pain, and is “the worst thing I have ever had to live through.” What went wrong, and where does this leave the upcoming film based on Adeyemi’s stunning debut? Read Rebecca’s thorough look at the controversy for more.
That’s not the only reporting we have on the convergence of pop culture and conflict for you today. There’s also playwright Jonathan Spector, whose Birthright—about a group of six friends who met on an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel in 2006—is enjoying a sold-out run at Manhattan’s MCC Theater. Hannah Seligson speaks to Spector about how, in a world increasingly divided by the war in Gaza, audiences are “seeing themselves onstage” through his work. And what about Melissa Rich, a former Sex and the City tour guide who turned that experience into a one-woman comedy show that tackles over-eager fans, self-described Samanthas, and gentrification? Marisa Meltzer talks to Rich about weaving those themes into one wildly entertaining package.
A bit more before we go: Why is WNBA player Sophie Cunningham such a MAGA fixation? Why do Luigi Mangione’s lawyers want to livestream his trial? And which horror icons would Widow’s Bay creator Katie Dippold happily hook up with? Answers to those questions, and more, await below.
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Tomi Adeyemi’s film deal was an author’s dream. So how did the adaptation of her best-selling novel turn into what she calls “the worst thing I have ever had to live through”? |
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The Emmy nominee opens up about her infamous Babadook meme, her horror influences, and the toxic discourse surrounding her 2016 Ghostbusters reboot. |
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Twenty-eight years after the show’s premiere, the West Village has changed. Melissa Rich’s one-woman show appraises the lore of the show and the enduring fantasy of living in New York City, on a bus of her own. |
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As the accused assassin’s state murder trial approaches, husband-and-wife defense attorneys Karen and Marc Agnifilo sought a larger audience for their global symbol of a client. Vanity Fair reports from the Manhattan courtroom. |
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