'Shadowhunters', the TV Sequel to 'Mortal Instruments: City of Bones', Goes to ABC Family

ABC Family has just ordered its first scripted saga-to-series, Shadowhunters, from The Mortal Instruments franchise based on the bestselling young-adult fantasy-adventure book series authored by Cassandra Clare.

As with Clare's books, Shadowhunters follows 18-year-old Clary Fray, who finds out on her birthday that she is not who she thinks she is but rather comes from a long line of Shadowhunters - human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons. When her mother Jocelyn is kidnapped, Clary is thrown into the world of demon hunting with mysterious Shadowhunter Jace and her best friend, Simon. Now living among faeries, warlocks, vampires and werewolves, Clary begins a journey of self-discovery as she learns more about her past and what her future may hold.

Regarding the adaptation of the books for TV, ABC Family president Tom Ascheim said: "Shadowhunters is a big, epic saga that will resonate with viewers who come to ABC Family for the Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Twilight franchises. A New York Times best-seller for 122-consecutive weeks, with over 35 million copies in print worldwide, Shadowhunters is the perfect story to share with our audience."

Karey Burke, ABC Family executive vice president of programming and development, added: "Clary is a strong, dynamic and captivating character that our audience will immediately identify with. They will want her to succeed and will root for her on her journey to become who she was always meant to be. The series has a passionate fanbase and an expansive universe that can sustain multiple seasons to come."

Clare for her part said: "I'm excited to see ABC Family bring the world of the Shadowhunters to life. As a huge fan of long-form 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."

Shadowhunters will be produced by Constantin Film, with Ed Decter serving as executive producer and showrunner. The show is being eyed as a 13-episode drama series. Production will reportedly begin in May in Toronto although neither the casting nor the target date has been announced yet.