Mortal Instruments TV Adaptation Gets Green Light From Constantin

By Kara Michelle Oct 24, 2014 08:32 AM EDT

Mortal Instruments TV Adaptation Gets Green Light From Constantin

Constantin Film, the production company that controls the rights to Cassandra Clare's best-selling young-adult fantasy franchise and which produced last year's "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" film is relaunching Mortal Instruments as a high-end drama series according to the Hollywood Reporter. Ed Decter has been hired as showrunner for the upcoming TV series project, which is currently still in development. Constantin plans to begin production next year. No broadcast partnershave yet been named to air the series. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Constantin film and TV head Martin Moszkowicz said that "It actually makes sense to do (the novels) as a TV series" and that "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."

Clare's Mortal Instruments is a series of six young-adult fantasy novels following the exploits of Clary Fray who was raised to believe she was a normal human but who eventually finds out that she is a Shadowhunter with angelic powers. Mortal Instruments is comprised of the 'City of Bones,' 'City of Ashes,' 'City of Glass,' 'City of Fallen Angels,' 'City of Lost Souls,' and 'City of Heavenly Fire' books. In the novels, Clary joins forces with Jace Herondale, Simon Lewis, Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood and other Shadowhunters as well as Downworlders in the New York Institute in the fight against the Nephilim and other supernatural creatures.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming Mortal Instruments TV series is part of a broader strategic shift at Constantin that will see the German-based company move into English-language television series. The company is reportedly also looking at possible TV adaptations of several of its English-language movie properties, including period serial killer drama Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and the Resident Evil sci-fi horror franchise.