McG To Direct ‘Mortal Instruments’ TV Series ‘Shadowhunters’
Poor box office sank plans for a secondMortal Instrumentsmovie, but the franchise will live on in a different form. ABC Family has setMcGto direct the first episode ofShadowhunters, based on the fantasy YA series byCassandra Clare. More details on theMortal InstrumentsTV series after the jump.
Deadlinereports McG will executive produce the series in addition to directing.Ed Decter(Unforgettable,The Client List,In Plain Sight) will executive produce, write, and serve as showrunner.Shadowhuntersalready has a series order from ABC Family. Shooting begins this May in Toronto.Shadowhuntersfollows a similar premise asThe Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, with a few tweaks. The protagonist is Clary Fray, who upon turning 18 discovers she’s descended from a long line of Shadowhunters (i.e., half-angel warriors who battle demons). After her mother Jocelyn is kidnapped, Clary goes on a journey of self-discovery through the world of faeries, warlocks, vampires, and werewolves.
Constantin Films initially seemed optimistic about 2013’sThe Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, getting the ball rolling on the sequel (subtitledCity of Ashes) before the first film was even in theaters. But when it underperformed, the follow-up wasdelayed indefinitely.
Nevertheless, Constantinremained determinedto make something of the property. Since it started as a popular series of books, it already has a built-in fanbase, and according to executive board chairmanMartin Moszkowicz, the film has done brisk business on DVD. So last year,they put plans in motionfor aMortal InstrumentsTV show.
Shadowhunterscontinues McG’s relationship with ABC Family, as he also recently directed their pilotKevin From Work. His other TV credits include NBC’sThe Mysteries of LauraandChuck, and Fox’sFastlane. On the film side, he is coming off of the Kevin Costner thrillerThree Days to Kill.
