Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series has already been made into a movie. You may have forgotten it existed since it came out and was gone just as quickly in 2013. I’ll admit, I have a copy of it, given to me by a friend and I still haven’t seen it. From what I hear it wasn’t good. Well, it looks like Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle and Magnus will have another chance to live off the page but this time on TV. ABC Family has ordered the series Shadowhunters to premiere sometime next year. Honestly, I think it will be better TV show then movie. It has so many subplots and characters, that a more serialized form would be a better fit to get all of it in. And for me at least, the casting is more in line with how the characters are in my head then the movie. Though, that is not the case for everyone. Some fans have express their “concerns” over the fact that some of the actors are not the ethnicity as the characters in the book. For instance, the actress cast as Isabelle, Emeraude Toubia, is hispanic. I don’t see this as a problem because a) She’s beautiful, tall with long dark hair like Isabelle and b) we are never really given her nationality beyond the fact she is a Shadowhunter because in the shadowhunter world, that comes first, nationality comes a distant second. Props to the producers and ABC Family for casting based on who they thought was the best fit for the role. I hope it’s good. I do have some reservations about this series but I really did enjoy reading them as a whole and I will see the movie eventually. It got me thinking though. What other book that has already been made into a movie would I like to see made into a TV Show? I have two on the top of my head.
First, hands down, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The first two books were made into a movies and well they were bad. OK, they were fine but anyone who read the book, knew they were lacking. Percy, Annabeth and Grover were too old and the prophecy that was the center of the whole series was left out! It was just a mess. With 10 books, if you include the Heroes of Olympus there are plenty of material to work with for several seasons.
Second, Harry Potter may seem like a strange one because the movies were really good. As far as adaptations go, they were faithful to the source material but also have their own identity but think of all that was left out? The beauty of TV shows is that you more time to tell the story depending on how many episodes. Movies are about 2 to 2 1/2 hours long. Shows are 30 minutes to an hour long from anywhere to 12 episodes to 24. That’s a lot more time! Maybe then we would get to see more of Dobby and the house elves. More of Neville’s back story and well more of the other characters in general. Just think of the possibilities!
Those are two I can think of right now? What other movies based on books would you like to see go the TV route? Sound off in the comments below.
Stop what you are doing right now and read this book. I mean it! I really wish it had been written when I was a teenager because I could have used this book. That being said, my 32 year-old self needed this book too. It works on so many levels. Taking on feminism, sexism and the unrealistic expectations of beauty on it’s head. Let’s be honest, no one really expect much from teenage girls. We expect them to be agreeable, charming, pretty, and happy and not much else. Just like you probably wouldn’t think much about a book about beauty queens stranded on a deserted island either but this is one fine satire.
In the second review of a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (
