After the first cinematic outing failed to ignite much interest at the box office, it looked like the planned franchise based on Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments book series was doomed to fade away, unlike some of its popular fellow adaptations. But instead, the series has taken a left turn and headed for television. While it has only previously been in development, there is now an official order via US cable channel ABC Family.
The series, called Shadowhunters – after the group that battles evil from the books – will once again follow heroine Clary Fray, who discovers on her 18th birthday that she comes from a line of the hunters, human/angel hybrids who track down demons. Freshly initiated into a world she barely knew existed, full of what she thought were mythical creatures, Clary is sent on a new adventure, one that might have more of a chance of life on TV.
“I’m excited to see ABC Family bring the world of the Shadowhunters to life,” says Clare. “As a huge fan of longform television drama, I can’t wait to see the story unfold and for the fans to have more time with the world and the characters.”
What this means in terms of casting has yet to be announced, although we doubt that the film’s leads Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower would want to commit to a series, so expect to meet a new Clary and Jace (the Shadowhunter she meets) in the coming months.