The new Twilight,
Mortal Instruments poised to be next Twilight
Contenders have been vying for the young-adult fantasy crown since the Twilight franchise’s last gleaming in 2012. The latest challenger is The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
Based on the popular books by Cassandra Clare, the introductory movie already has a solid vote of confidence, and a second Mortal Instruments film is set to start shooting next month in Toronto, where the first one was filmed last year.
To celebrate, headliners Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower and Kevin Zegers gathered to talk about the adventure flick, appropriately enough, in a Toronto hotel.
In the movie, Collins, daughter of pop star Phil Collins, portrays Clary, the young daughter of a single mother living in New York. When Clary’s mom disappears, the teen discovers she is a descendant from a long line of Shadowhunter warriors who protect the human world from demons.
Soon, the passive and petite Clary joins Shadowhunters and is forced to confront some powerful evil spirits in the Downworld full of warlocks, vampires and werewolves. Assisting Clary on her journey of selfdiscovery is Jace (Bower), a fellow Shadowhunter and a potential love interest for Clary. Alec (Zegers) is another Shadowhunter, but he balks at welcoming the newcomer.
Robert Sheehan plays Simon, Clary’s best friend in the human world. Jemima West is Isabelle, a Shadowhunter with an attitude, while Jared Harris is wise yet compromised Shadowhunter Hodge.
On the villain side of the story, Jonathan Rhys Meyers portrays the deceitful spirit Valentine, who knows a few secrets and is in pursuit of the Mortal Cup and the domination it provides. (In cameos, Thunder Bay, Ont., native Kevin Durand and Robert Maillet, from SainteMarie-de-Kent, N.B., show up occasionally as Valentine’s giant thugs.)
Director Harald Zwart, who helmed the 2010 box-office hit The Karate Kid, combines lots of action with some humour and a bit of romance suitable for young-adult movie entertainment.
But all three actors refused to take their assignments lightly because of the genre. They knew they had to be mentally and physically up for the challenge of a demanding shoot.
“I was training before and during filming, and it was an exhausting experience, but I got to do most everything,” said Collins, who previously played Snow White to Julia Roberts’s evil Queen in Mirror Mirror. “Harald (Zwart) wanted everything to be genuine and have that image of real fighting, so I think we had only two stunts we were not allowed to do.”
Certainly, Bower’s no stranger to the teen fantasy genre. He played the Volturi’s Caius in The Twilight Saga’s New Moon, as well as parts 1 and 2 of Breaking Dawn. The physical nature of the Jace part was a departure, however.
“It was the hardest I’ve ever had to work on a movie, emotionally and physically,” Bower said. “I pushed myself to limits I didn’t think possible for me.”
Zegers, on the other hand, arrived just before filming began and had lots of catching up to do. “Fortunately, I wasn’t in awful shape,” said the Woodstock, Ont., native.
After he got into the swing of things, he obsessed about staying fit throughout filming because “the only person who looks like an ass onscreen if you don’t is you.”
The director had his cast involved in more ways than just running, jumping and diving. He expected his actors to collaborate on every scene, and that included finding the humanity in the characters through humour.
“The books include this comedic undertone, and I think the movie does, as well,” noted Collins. “Harald encouraged spontaneity, so Jamie (Bower) came up with a lot of Jace’s one-liners.”
The British actor also remodelled Jace’s wardrobe, giving him “more of a bikery, street look.” Soon, we’ll find out if devoted fans of the novels will approve of Jace’s makeover and some plot adjustments in the movie.
Indeed, fans let their displeasure known when the slim Bower was cast in the pivotal role of the rugged Jace two years ago after hundreds of actors auditioned for the part. Collins, who had signed to play Clary in 2010is a fan of Bower as Jace.
“I had met Jamie more than a couple of years ago,” said Collins. “And I don’t know if you’ve ever had that experience, but I felt I had met him before.”
During Bower’s audition with Collins to test their chemistry, it happened again: “We clicked right away,” she said. “It was like we had this otherworldly connection — it was perfect.”
So, Bower said he was over the casting controversy and admitted that he was pleased with his effort as Jace.
“If you don’t like your portrayal, you can’t expect the audience to like him,” he said.
“There was never a moment when I said, ‘Should I or shouldn’t I?’” said Bower of playing Jace.
That’s why he’s looking forward to the start of filming The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes in early September. It’s the second film based on the six bestselling books penned by Clare. So far, the key cast members, including Collins and Bower, have been signed for three movies.
If the film series goes beyond a trilogy, let the negotiations begin; although Bower would be an easy sell.
“Being offered work for two or three years is an incredible gift,” Bower said.