For every few monster hit YA adaptations like The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner, there’s one that takes both a box office and critical nosedive. In this case, we’re talking about The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Production company Constantin Film is completely foregoing all ideas for feature sequels and is now developing a TV series based on Cassandra Clare’s bestselling novel series. Books being transformed for TV is a natural fit, but does a Mortal Instruments series make sense at this point? I await a throng of teenage girls’ answers.
Though the feature sequel would have been written by Jessica Postigo, who wrote the first, Constantin has brought in TV vet Ed Decter to adapt this tale of vampires, devils, werewolves and love for the small screen. (Just your average television program at this point, really.) Decter has produced and written for such series as In Plain Sight, Helix and the recently cancelled Unforgettable. On the feature side, he was one of the writers behind There’s Something About Mary, but then also the second two Santa Clause sequels and The Lizzie McGuire Movie. So your guess is as good as mine on what this series could turn into.
No networks are attached yet, and it’s not clear if Constantin is packaging this series for broad marketability of if they’re aiming for a particular network. The material doesn’t skew too adult beyond some dark thematic touches, so it won’t make much sense to hit cable, premium or otherwise, for a maximum audience. (The CW, this is your time to make your presence known.) It's also not clear whether or not the series would pick up with the novel City of Ashes, or if they're going to completely retell the first novel's narrative. Does anyone think Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower would come back for this?
Speaking with THR, Constantin’s film and TV head Martin Moszkowicz says the series will be even truer to the novel franchise.
It actually makes sense to do (the novels) as a TV series. There was so much from the book that we had to leave out of the Mortal Instruments film. In the series we’ll be able to go deeper and explore this world in greater detail and depth.”
The Mortal Instruments series follows Clary, a human with angelic powers, also called a Shadowhunter. She and fellow demon killer Jace, along with a bunch of others, survive in a world full of monsters and the titular Mortal Instruments, which everyone wants to get their hands on. It’s a solid enough hook for a TV series; at least for its intended audience, who didn’t really show up in theaters to turn the feature franchise into a certainty. Will they prefer to check this story out while sitting at home? We shall see.
Production on The Mortal Instruments series is scheduled to begin at some point next year. Let us know in the poll below how you feel about this news.
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