Now that THE TWILIGHT SAGA has ended, Hollywood is desperately trying to find the next big franchise for the teen crowd. Based on the little bit of fan reaction I’ve witnessed over the initial teaser trailer, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES may be just what the doctor ordered. Based on the novel by Cassandra Clare, the movie stars Lena Headey, Lily Collins, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Robert Sheehan, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jared Harris, Kevin Zegers, Aidan Turner, Kevin Durand, Jemima West, CCH Pounder, Robert Maillet, Godfrey Gao and Stephen R. Hart. It’s directed by Harald Zwart (THE KARATE KID, 2010), but doesn’t come out until late August. Despite that we have the second theatrical trailer and two new posters (featuring the main two characters) for the film (one above and one below). While this looks a little less soap opera-ish than TWILIGHT, I’m still not able to attach to it much, probably as a result of not knowing the book it’s based on. But the cast has some capable names in there, and Zwart had great success with his last film, so you never know. Will this be the start of a new blockbuster series of movies? Take a look for yourself and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
In the series’ first book, the #1 New York Times bestseller “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,” set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray, discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother, Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures.