Mortal Instruments: City of Bones author Cassandra Clare and the cast of her page-to-screen effort, including star Lily Collins, met Movie Fanatic at WonderCon for an exclusive chat about the upcoming film. Clare spoke to how the film can provide exposure to her story beyond how huge it already has become.
"It’s really intriguing and it’s really frightening too. There’s nothing like a movie that focuses this big lens onto your work that hasn’t been there before," Clare said.
She admitted her fans had their opinions about who should play who, but she wouldn’t have it any other way as Mortal Instruments fans are as passionate as they come. “They have opinions for everything and I love them for it,” Clare said. “I love that they’re so excited. I was flooded with emails that were either, ‘I want to be in the movie’ or ‘So and so should be in the movie.’”
Meanwhile, Collins lets us in on her thoughts on the most memorable moment for her as a part of this rapidly becoming-iconic series. She immediately credits the filmmakers for how she felt like she walked onto the pages of the book when she arrived on the set. "I love how the art department made all the sets feel true to the book,” Collins said.
She also appreciated the bonding with her castmates and filmmakers. “All of us really became one in making this movie.”
After her work in Mirror Mirror and now her starring role in this film, teased in the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones trailer, it is easy to see the passion the actress has for the genre. “I’ve always loved fantasy films. I love how they take me away to somewhere else. It’s not just fantasy that’s the big appeal with these movies -- it’s that they have heart.”
We also caught up with star Kevin Zegers, who portrays Alec Lightwood, as he explores what it was about this Mortal Instruments world that most compelled him.
"The biggest appeal was the character. I love this guy for whatever reason,” Zegers said. As soon as "action" was called, he immediately knew the book's secret to success. “Once we started shooting the movie, the world is great and it’s easy to see why the fans are crazy about it.”
Jamie Campbell Bower, who is fan favorite Jace Wayland, was just a little nervous about tackling a project that is so enormous in the world of popular culture. “I was terrified. There’s always a responsibility, even if it isn’t an adaptation to a popular book,” Bower said. “It’s a scary prospect, big time.”