“The Mortal Instruments” to Become TV Series

ABC Family will soon be playing with instruments.

The Mortal Instruments, that is.

The teen-centric network has already ordered Shadowhunters for a full 13 episodes. Shadowhunters will be based on The Mortal Instruments young adult book series by Cassandra Clare.

Ed Decter of SyFy’s Helix is attached as showrunner and executive producer.

The show will start with 13 episodes and begin production in May. No word yet on casting.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

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.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones was made a feature film back in 2013, and while Screen Gems had hopes of another Hunger Games or Twilight-like franchise, the movie flopped, making only $31 million in the U.S.