The Mortal Instruments Is Getting a Mortal Television Show

Fans of Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments may see their series getting a new lease on adapted life: in the form of a television adaptation.

The first film installment of The Mortal Instruments, a feature film adaptation of the first book in the series, City of Bones, cost around $60 million to make (and reportedly just as much to promote), grossed a mere $90 million, and was, to put it lightly, poorly received by critics. Work on its sequel, City of Ashes, was put on hold almost immediately, and despite an announcement a few months later that production was back on, Constantin Film (makers of the Resident Evil film franchise) has yet to show results.

Now the production company, which still owns the film adaptation rights to the YA fantasy series after all, has announced that they’ll be relaunching the franchise on television.

Constantin has hired Ed Decter, whose writer-producer credits include Helix, Unforgettable, In Plain Sight and The Client List, as the showrunner for the Mortal Instruments series. The project is currently in development, with Constantin planning to begin production next year. No broadcast partners are yet attached to the series.

“Relaunching?” you ask, “Does that mean that they’ll be picking up where the movie left off, or restarting the whole thing?” Your guess is as good as mine. But Cassandra Clare, the author behind the original books, seems to think that the slate will be wiped clean. From The Hollywood Reporter:

“@uanrunes: ” do you think they will start over with city of bones or start from city of ashes?” Start over.

— Cassandra Clare (@cassieclare) October 12, 2014

With no network attached, the show can still be considered somewhere in television limbo. So feel free to get your hopes up, TMI fans… but maybe don’t hold your breath.

(The Hollywood Reporter via The Daily Dot)

Previously in The Mortal Instruments

• The Mortal Instruments Trilogy Put On Hiatus Following City of Bones‘ Financial Failure
• Cassandra Clare On The Bechdel Test, Women In Heroic Narratives, And Adapting Books To Screen
• Watch A Whole Scene of Lena Headey Battling Demonic Home Invaders With A Frying Pan

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