New images from “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” feature Robert Sheehan and Jemima West

February 10, 2013 | Posted by Araceli Roach in Images 2 Comments

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Fans of “The Mortal Instruments,” the best-selling young adult fantasy series, have been feverish for any information ever since they heard about the highly anticipated book-to-movie adaptation. Lucky for them, new stills of young actors Robert Sheehan and Jemima West have been released.

“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,” the first film in what may become a franchise, follows Lily Collins as teenager Clary Fray, who is unknowingly pulled into an ancient battle to protect our world from demons when her mother (Lena Headey) mysteriously disappears. Clary must then join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, a secret race of half-angel warriors tasked to protect humanity, and learns there’s more to New York City and her own past than she thought.

Irish expat Robert Sheehan plays Simon Lewis, Clary’s best friend who is secretly in love with her. (Too bad Clary is about to fall for one of the Shadowhunters.) The still can be viewed below, thanks to Teen.com.

Jemima West stars as Isabelle Lightwood, one of the bad-ass Shadowhunters helping Clary. (Though she looks particularly worried). This still can also be viewed below, thanks to Collider.

The film is directed by Harald Zwart and also stars Jamie Campbell Bower, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kevin Durand, CCH Pounder and Kevin Zegers. It will be released on August 23, 2013.

Watch: Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell-Bower in first trailer for “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”

November 14, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos 2 Comments

Fans of Cassandra Clare’s young adult fantasy series “The Mortal Instruments” are surely excited at the first trailer released for the big screen adaptation (now “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” – see how they’re already prepared for the franchise potential?), but what can people who haven’t read the book make of this first footage of Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower in action?

There’s a lot of exposition in this first trailer, a bit too much by my estimation. Collins plays Clary Fray, who begins seeing people who aren’t really there, and those people are killing supernatural creatures that aren’t really there. She’s drawn into the world of Shadowhunters and learns she’s one herself, and there’s something about demons, and half-angels and some great evil that Clary and her new friends – including Campbell-Bower’s Shadowhunter Jace – must now defeat.

The trailer left me a bit exhausted and I can’t say I particularly want to shell out $12 for the chance to further explore Clary’s world – which looks like a cross between “The Da Vinci Code” and another Collins dud: “The Priest” – but clearly director Harald Zwart and the studio are banking on the caravans of fans of the books who will turn out for midnight screenings around the world. Does this trailer make you want to be there? August 23, 2013 is the date you’ll want to circle in red on your calendar if so. See the first trailer below.

First Look: Lily Collins brandishes her power in first still image from “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”

November 14, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Lily Collins looks ready to conquer the YA landscape to become the next great teen heroine in our first look at an image from the big screen adaptation of “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.” Entertainment Weekly released the still today, which shows Collins as Clary Fray, the 15 year old ordinary girl who discovers she’s not so ordinary after all.

In Clary’s case, her world is turned upside down when she discovers she can see supernatural beings and crosses paths with the Shadowhunters, other gifted humans who hunt and kill demons. She meets her match in the arrogant Jace Wayland, played by Jamie Campbell Bower, as well as his friends the Lightwood twins, Isabelle played by British newcomer Jemima West and Alec played by Kevin Zegers.

“Clary has the ability to both create new symbols and make runes that are stronger than other people’s. In this scene, she is fending off an enemy with the first rune that she’s ever drawn on herself at the amazement of the other Shadowhunters,” series author Cassandra Clare tells EW of the first photo. “It was very reassuring to come on set and see everything covered in runes and replicated down to the last detail. The movie was definitely made by people who love the books and wanted to do right by them.”

Harald Zwart recently completed filming and “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” is expected to be released on August 23, 2013. The full photo can be seen below, and the first trailer is expected to hit tomorrow.

Kevin Zegers to play Alec Lightwood in “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”

July 27, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Canadian actor Kevin Zegers has been tapped for the role of Alec Lightwood in teen franchise hopeful “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”, according to Just Jared. He joins Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell-Bower, Robert Sheehan, Jemima West and fellow Canadian Godfrey Gao in the production set to film next month.

Collins stars as Clary Fray, a seemingly ordinary human girl who discovers that she can see supernatural beings that no one else can and gets drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters, humans born with angelic blood who hunt and kill demons. Campbell-Bower is male lead and Clary’s love interest Jace Wayland, while Sheehan’s Simon is Clary’s best friend who harbors a secret crush on her and plays in a band. West plays fellow Shadowhunter Isabelle and Zegers’ Alec is Isabelle’s brother, also a Shadowhunter. He also harbors a secret flame for Jace and is cold towards Clary at first because of it, though he ultimately realizes Gao’s Magnus, an 800 year old warlock, is his true love. Harald Zwart is directing the first movie based on Cassandra Clare’s best-selling teen novels and the film is scheduled for release on August 23, 2013.

Zegers had roles in “Transamerica” opposite Felicity Huffman’s Oscar-nominated turn, “The Jane Austen Book Club” and is a recurring guest on The CW series “Gossip Girl.” He’s currently filming indie drama “All the Wrong Reasons” opposite Adam Brody and Sarah Gadon.

Taiwanese actor Godfrey Gao to play Magnus in “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”

July 19, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 5 Comments

Taiwanese model/actor Godfrey Gao (Gao Yi Xiang) has landed the role of Magnus Bane in “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”, the first in a potential new teen franchise starring Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell-Bower as the teenage star-crossed paranormal lovers. The Harald Zwat-directed film, based on the series by Cassandra Clare, also stars newcomers Jemima West and Robert Sheehan, as well as more established new additions Lena Headey, Kevin Durand, Robert Maillet and Jared Harris.

Collins stars as Clary Fray, a seemingly ordinary human girl who discovers that she can see supernatural beings that no one else can and gets drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters, humans who hunt and kill demons. Campbell-Bower is male lead and Clary’s love interest Jace Wayland, while West plays fellow Shadowhunter Isabelle. Sheehan’s Simon is Clary’s best friend who harbors a secret crush on her and plays in a band. Gao’s Magnus, described as “a quarter Indonesian, a quarter Dutch, and half demon”, is introduced as a warlock and plays a crucial part throughout the series. As he is over 800 years old, he also features in the prequel series, The Infernal Devices. Zwart will direct the first film in Toronto this summer, aiming for an August 23, 2013 release.

Gao, who grew up in Vancouver but who has acted only in Chinese TV dramas, was named the face of Louis Vuitton last year and has been dubbed “the world’s first Asian male supermodel.”

“Misfits” star Robert Sheehan to play Simon in “The Mortal Instruments” opposite Lily Collins

July 11, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Teen franchise hopeful “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” has added another young UK actor to its cast. “Misfits” star Robert Sheehan has been chosen for the role of Simon Lewis and joins a cast that already includes Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell-Bower and Jemima West. The novels’ author Cassandra Clare broke the news on her official Tumblr earlier today.

Collins stars as Clary Fray, a seemingly ordinary human girl who discovers that she can see supernatural beings that no one else can and gets drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters, humans who hunt and kill demons. Campbell-Bower is male lead and Clary’s love interest Jace Wayland, while West plays fellow Shadowhunter Isabelle. Sheehan’s Simon is Clary’s best friend who harbors a secret crush on her and plays in a band. He, too, gets drawn into the secret underground world of the Shadowhunters in New York City. Harald Zwart will direct the film in Toronto this summer, aiming for an August 23, 2013 release.

Irish actor Sheehan has a cult following thanks to his role as Nathan Young on UK teen series “Misfits”, but he has left the show, presumably in order to pursue a rising film career, which kicked off when he co-starred opposite Ben Barnes in “Killing Bono.” This will certainly prove to have been a wise choice if “City of Bones” is successful enough to spawn sequels – Clare has written five books in the main series, without counting prequels and spin-offs.

British actress Jemima West joins Lily Collins in teen franchise hopeful “The Mortal Instruments”

June 20, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Newcomer Jemima West has landed the role of Isabelle Lightwood in “The Mortal Instruments”, the novel’s author Cassandra Clare took to Tumblr to report. She will join Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell-Bower in the Harald Zwart-directed adaptation of the first novel in a series that’s Screen Gems’ answer to “the next Twilight/Hunger Games.”

Collins will play the lead character, 15-year old Clary Fray, who discovers that she can see supernatural beings that no one else can and gets drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters, humans who hunt and kill demons. Of course, there is a boy for Clary to fall in love with, and his name is Jace Wayland, an arrogant Shadowhunter. West’s Isabelle is a fellow Shadowhunter who is beautiful, strong and defiant. Her brother, Alec, has reportedly been cast as well, though Clare would only confirm he’s British and is not: Nicholas Hoult, Ben Barnes or Douglas Booth. Let the speculation begin!

Paris-born West has appeared on numerous French TV shows, including “Maison close”, but is probably most known to American audiences for her recently completed role as Vittoria on season 2 of Showtime series “The Borgias.”

“Twilight” and “Harry Potter” star Jamie Campbell Bower adds “The Mortal Instruments” to franchise haul

May 31, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 4 Comments

Sorry, Alex Pettyfer. All that hem-hawing over whether or not to take the male lead in “The Mortal Instruments” has resulted in Screen Gems officially offering the part of Jace Wayland to someone else instead. Deadline reports that it’s British actor Jamie Campbell Bower who will play the arrogant Shadowhunter opposite Lily Collins as Clary in the Scott Stewart adaptation based on the best-selling teen genre novels by Cassandra Clare.

Bower was seen testing for the role a few weeks ago, along with “Eragon” star Ed Speleers and male model Leebo Freeman. Bower will don tattoos and battle scars to play the Shadowhunter Jace, a human who hunts down and kills demons, thus protecting the unsuspecting public, perhaps the best of his age, described as being very attractive with golden hair, eyes and skin, with scars all over his body from being in various battles. His and Clary’s romance is marred by the possibility that they might be related. Yikes…

“The Mortal Instruments” is Screen Gems’ own answer to “the next Twilight”, in the same vein as “The Hunger Games” at Lionsgate and Warner Bros “The Seventh Son”, and Bower should feel right at home being part of what could be a new teen phenomenon, having played evil vampire Caius in “Twilight” and the young Gellert Grindelwald in “Harry Potter”. He is currently playing King Arthur on Starz series “Camelot”.

“The City of Bones”, the first in the “Mortal Instruments” series, films this summer in New York City, after Collins completes Tarsem Singh’s “Snow White”.

Jamie Campbell-Bower, Ed Speleers and Leebo Freeman up for “The Mortal Instruments” male lead Jace

May 17, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Lily Collins may be getting ready to be wooed by Armie Hammer as they gear up to shoot Tarsem Singh’s “Snow White”, but she is still short one leading man for “The Mortal Instruments”, in which she plays 15-year-old heroine Clary Fray, a human girl who crashes into the New York underground monster scene. Though Alex Pettyfer is the one actor that’s always been brought up in connection to the teen franchise, The Wrap reports today that some unexpected names have cropped up and Pettyfer is not among them. On Friday, Jamie Campbell-Bower, Ed Speleers and Leebo Freeman were all present on the Sony lot to test for the role of Jace Wayland opposite Collins.

Jace is a “Shadowhunter”, a human who hunts down and kills demons, thus protecting the unsuspecting public, perhaps the best of his age, described as being very attractive with golden hair, eyes and skin, with scars all over his body from being in various battles. His looks make him popular with girls, though he has a tendency to be arrogant. He falls in love with Clary but is tormented by the possibility that she might be his sister. You gotta give it to author Cassandra Clare for coming up with a new way of keeping star-crossed lovers apart…

Campbell-Bower, out of the three, has the most teen genre franchise cred, having starred in both the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series. He is now playing Arthur on the new Starz series “Camelot”. Speleers, meanwhile, had fronted a film that potentially could have become a franchise, 2006′s “Eragon”, though dismal box office numbers put an end to that possibility fairly quickly. Freeman, a male model, is new to acting.

The first film of the “Mortal Instruments” series (there are a total of six books), “The City of Bones”, will be directed by Scott Charles Stewart. Stewart previously directed Collins in “Priest”, which released this past weekend. Production is expected to begin this summer in New York City after Collins completes her duties as the fairest of them all.

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