The Cold Hard Truth: There Will Be A New Cast For ‘Shadowhunters’ TV 

The Cold Hard Truth: There Will Be A New Cast For ‘Shadowhunters’ TV

This isn’t easy to say, but it needs to be said. For everyone holding out hope that the cast from

It’s the cold, harsh truth of the situation. But it’s the truth. Movies and television are two different mediums with two different studios (Sony and ABC Family) running the show, two different interpretations and two different casting departments.

Is that to say with 100% confidence that none of the film actors could actually be cast in the show? No, because nothing is impossible. But the likelihood of that happening is slim to none, actually, more like none to none.

I say this because while I’ve seen most fans understand this (whether it’s accepting it or being adamantly against it), there are some that are holding onto hope that the movie cast will return. But they won’t.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Think of it this way, we have one family in

movie cast, and we’re getting another family with the

cast. We don’t know who these people are yet, but I’m sure they’re great people who we’ll end up really loving. It’s unfair to prejudge them just because they’re not (insert actor name here).

Embracing the new cast doesn’t mean you’re betraying the old cast. Actually, don’t even think of them as “old” and “new” casts. Think of them as “movie” and “TV” casts. They’re different, but they’re both determined to represent the characters, the story and the fandom in the best possible way.

We all love the movie cast. They were our first family who brought our favorite characters to life on the big screen. Having gotten to talk to them, I can say they’re genuinely great people. They were always so dedicated to their characters, the franchise and, most importantly, the fans. They deserved all the love we gave them.

But their original foray into the franchise wasn’t met with 100% enthusiasm (I think we all remember the Great Jace Casting Debate). But eventually the fandom settled down and embraced the cast like they embraced the characters in Cassie’s books.

I have a feeling the same will happen with the TV cast. Where there are incredibly encouraging fans, there are incredibly negative fans. Whether it’s because they don’t look like the character or they’re not the actor from the movie, there’s guaranteed to be negativity. This is the Internet, after all.

But I have no doubt that this fandom will soon embrace them the way they embraced the movie cast. Give them a chance, because they’ll soon be family. And there’s nothing more important than family.

Filed Under: Features, Shadowhunters TV, The Mortal Instruments, TV Tagged With: Cassandra Clare, Casting, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jemima West, Kevin Zegers, Lily Collins, Robert Sheehan, Shadowhunters TV, The Magister, The Mortal Instruments, TMI movie, TMI TV

TMI TV: More Rumors from the ‘Shadowhunters’ TV Show »

Honestly this is the part that bothers me the least. I didn’t really care for the actors. Don’t get me wrong, they are great and I enjoyed them all in at least on other film but none if them fit as the characters for me.

And why were every cast member british? I know it doesn’t matter, its just annoying… But yeah, I completely agree! I am so happy with getting a new cast! The only actor I will miss is Godfrey Gao, but some sacrifices gotta be maabe, am I right?

They wanted the shadowhunters to be different and stand out. That’s why they preferred british actors. So it was on purpose. Although Robert is british, too.. but he did an american accent.. so yeah.

But I’m so with you about Godfrey; he was perfect as Magnus :(

I think the reason they made them have an accent is because Idris is located in Europe so a lot of shadowhunters would be from around there. I could be wrong but that’s just how I interpreted it :)

I thought that for a while too, but then it would only be the adults and Jace with the accent, since Izzy and Alec had always lived in NY? Doing it to make them stand out is just stupid. You don’t make characters seem foreign just to “stand out” as a movie lol?

I loved all the actors, especially Lilly. They were, like she said in the article, very dedicated to their character and very awesome people and they deserved all the love they got. But that said, they never looked like the characters to me or anything like that. And honestly with how horrible the movie turned out, I want the show as different from that as possible if that makes sense? I can’t wait to see who the new cast will be :)

For me, the only casting in the movie that I thought was spot on, was the casting for Simon. Everyone else fell a little short.

If you want to watch this show and see it be a success you have no show but to accept the actors they have chosen. Though I do think a wrong cast can make a shows run terribily short. In the end I think the fans should care about the acting skills of the cast before care about the looks. Bad acting in the end is always a bigger turn off than someone not having the right hair colour. The rest is up to the scriptwriters and the producers to do right.

Totally! I (God, people will hate me) actually didn’t like the acting of almost any character from the movie… That was probably also because of a bad script. Lets hope they make up for all the mistakes this time!

Nici, please, he is Irish not British. This is basic Geography!

I don´t look at this news as bad The actor that played Isabelle was not the best choice and i am exited to see what actor they pick

I´ll definitely give the TV cast a chance, I just hope they are as devoted to the story and its characters as we, the fans, are. That´s the most important thing.

It still would be great if at least Robert Sheehan returned as Simon. He was perfect for the role, and he already was in a TV show (Misfits)

Honestly I liked the old cast but they didn’t feel right. While I love Jamie, he didn’t really look like Jace, and he, Kevin and Jemima were British… The only people in the movie who should have had an accent is Jocelyn, Luke, Valentine, Hodge, Mayrse, Robert, and maybe Jace would have a slight accent from his childhood in Alicante. Kevin wasn’t tall enough and Lily was too tall. I love the old cast, but I have to say, I think what we need is a fresh start. And this time I heard they’re actually going to film in New York where the books are supposed to take place. My only questions are if we have any ideas of who may be in the new cast, and who will be casting the actors. All in all, I’m happy with it. Now we can really go into detail in a way the movies never could. Best of luck to the show!

Honestly at this point the more superficial details aren’t as important to me. Sure, at first, I had all the same problems with the cast but that wasn’t what ultimately made me absolutely hate the movie. The only thing I want for this tv show is good acting and a good representation of the world I fell in love with. Also, I heard filming will be in Vancouver and will begin in May.

I think most of us knew this was likely going to happen . As long as they choose great actors who can protray the role who also look the part or (made to look within reason ), then this is fine . I hope they remain faithful to the content while also hooking non readers . As for the tv incarnation of Simon , maybe they just added it to his character while remaining faithful

I’m not at all upset about this part, I really wasn’t crazy about any of the cast. At best I liked them okay, at worst, I was super disappointed. That is not to say that any single one of them didn’t do justice to the character they were playing, it was just the wrong fit in most cases.

I didn’t mind Lily as Clary, I thought she did a good job. As much as I enjoyed Robert as Simon, I still don’t think he was the right choice. JRM could have been a good Valentine had he actually been playing Valentine and not a Viking. The rest of the adult cast was alright.

Kevin and Jemima, just bad choices, not bad jobs. I really didn’t even enjoy their characters because of it. Also, I know a lot of people liked Godfrey as Magnus, but I thought he was awful. He looked beautiful as Magnus, but the fact that he had very little acting experience at the time really showed through, which is absurd for a character like Magnus, who due to his age and depth, is one of the harder to portray effectively.

As the list gets progressively worse, that leads me to Jaime. Again, he did a good job and really committed to the character, at the end of the day, he nailed some parts of it and others, like charisma and masculinity, you can’t teach those things.

I am a huge fan of the books who really wanted to love the movie, and really didn’t. I think it needs to be said that I am incredibly relaxed when it comes to what I like, but the casting and some really bad production and direction decisions killed it for me. What they got right really did not rival all that they got wrong.

My disappointment with the movie is why I am so excited about the TV show. I just don’t think that people really consider the things they are asking sometimes. For instance, people complaining that the movie made it clear that Jace and Clary aren’t really siblings. I hope the TV show does the same. It’s OKAY for us to know, so long as they don’t. Why? Because as much as the Fandom likes to think so, us liking the show and being happy with it isn’t going to keep it on air, it certainly did no favors for the movie. The show needs to appeal to a larger audience, and the incest seeming more real, could turn a lot of people off.

They should keep Godfrey Gao as Magnus, he was perfect for the role, the other guys didn’t fit the characters :c

no offence to him, but i think godfrey gao was so not magnus. he was not funny enough, and not sparkly or glamorous enough

The only reason this bothers me is because Jace and Simon and Magnus’ actors were perfect. The rest of the casting sucked. So bring on the TV cast!

i’m having a live Mixlr broadcast tonight at 5:00 est to discuss the Shadowhunters TV show. Just search MidnightRose. Hope you’ll be listening!

Honestly I don’t mind a cast change. Call me picky but I like it when the characters have correct eye color *cough* jace *cough* and correct height *cough* Alec *cough*.

I think it’s a good idea, because the previous cast wasn’t perfect. All of them are talented, but I don’t think that they were a right choice. Simon and Joselyn were the best, unfortunately I can’t tell the same about other heroes. Herondales are famous for their attractive appearance, but movie version of Jace didn’t impressed me. Isabelle and Alec are elder than Lightwoods. They looked like cool 30-years old experienced superheroes, not like young shadowhunters. Kevin is hot, but Alec is shy and he is only 18. Magnus…without trousers… Yes, Gao was good, but I imagined another Magnus. I hope new cast will be better.

I cant believe everyone is saying to keep Godfrey Gao as Magnus! I thought he was the worst piece of casting. Sure he looked good but Magnus is about more than that. He was totally missing Magnus’ flair, his quirks, what makes each of us love Magnus. He sounded like he was reading his lines from flashcards! Definitely not Magnus in my opinion, I can’t wait to see who they choose instead

I think a new cast was needed. Some of the actors for the movie were a good choice but others were not. Some actors were double the age of the characters in the novels and others didn’t look like how cassie had described their characters in the book (obviously they can’t be exact copy of the descriptions but things like height and age are important). I feel as though not many of the actors for the movie really did any research of their characters, like reading the books and learning their past.

I mean Connor McLain who really wants the role of Sebastian is reading all the books incase he gets the role as he wants to portray Sebastian perfectly( and he doesn’t even know if he is gonna get the part or anything yet!!)

I think it’s a good choice but the TV show can’t make the same mistakes again.

Buffy was a movie first, and when it went to TV it was a different cast and worked out really well.

Omg you just gave me so much hope thank you!!!!!

Yay, that’s what I was hoping my comment would do :)

I really want them to keep Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace. If they have Alex Pettyfer I’m gonna stab myself.

I haven’t actually been on this site for a year and have taken great joy in reading these comments. This site use to be my life and i made some really great friends on here.While i understand everybody’s view on the whole topic i would like to add this.

I personly believe that most of the actors in the movie did not fit the characters (lily collins who played clary was the most accurate in my opinion) but i understand there are people who don’t want them to change, but say view it as a completly different thing. It’s a new take on the book so it makes sense that there would be new views on the characters.

I also read above that people think that the cast for the movie did not read the books or no much to about them. Well thats wrong because Lilly collins (Clary) was a fan of the books before they talked about making it to movie. She had read all of the books that were out at that time and when she had heard about the movie had actually requested to have an audition to play clary. The rest of the cast had read at least the first book.

This tv show alows them to explore the world of the mortal instruments in more detail and develop better charcters. If the whole series was made to movie they would have had to skip a lot such as when they completly skiped the whole renwicks ruins thing. This way they can add a lot more to it.

I actually really enjoyed the cast of the movie. If I hadn’t, I doubt that I would have ended up reading the series. Hadn’t planned on watching the movie, so I don’t know how any of that happened in the first place. Still, from the beginning I figured that the show would have a change of cast. REALLY going to hate not having Godfrey Gao, because I think he was absolutely perfect. I totally disagree that he doesn’t have Magnus’ flair. I don’t think he was given enough screen time for that statement to be accurate since we don’t truly know what he could have gone with the role.

Anyway, I’m more of an Infernal Devices person, so while I eagerly await the Shadowhunter Series, I’ll just take it as it comes, new cast and all.

that’s really true!!!1 i think that godfrey as magnus is damn awesome!!!

I only watched this for the casting really. I fell in the love with the story after. Godfrey didn’t get enough screen time to even portray Magnus unless like 2 lines counts. He does have acting experience (quite a few dramas in Asia) and this is his first in English role. I’ve watched him play many different types of characters from prince types to funny sincere and he’s pretty good at kissing guys like in Never Give Up, DoDo. If watching him that doesn’t prove he’d be great as Magnus then I dunno what does, but oh well. I was skeptical about the movie then fell in love with the characters. The marketing could have been better.

Should have just stuck to the movies….and it would be a win win for all.

I loved some of the old cast, don’t get me wrong, but I do think there were some casting errors, mostly with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Valentine. He was too young, and his hair color was wrong. Also, I hate to say this, but Godfrey Gao was not a good actor. Attractive, sure, but his deadpan line delivery made me cringe. We need to get an Indonesian guy for Magnus, younger actors for the main cast, older actors for their parents, and please, get someone new to do the screenplay. The movie’s script was just horrible. Since this is a TV show, I’m hoping we’ll get more focus on world-building and setting a tone for the series whereas the movie couldn’t decide on where it wanted to settle. I’ve read City of Bones numerous times, and even I couldn’t figure out what was going on half the time.

The actors were British because they were British in the books

exactly! And they could keep their accents even tho they lived in NY because they were not mingling with mundanes or the mundane way of life. Thank you Alyssa for posting this :)

I was really excited to see the old cast again. I didn’t mind if they weren’t like the characters con the books. At least they made the movie. Some books don’t even make it to the big screen. I will miss Malec couple. I really love them. :)

Tout les acteurs sont géniaux, surtout les principaux ! Jace, Clary, etc …

Pourquoi veulent-ils changer ces personnages ? Ça ne servirait à rien, sauf à rendre les fans du précédent casting de TMI écœurés et ne voulant pas regarder un seul épisode de la nouvelle serie et de son casting rater !!

Bref s’il vous plaît ne changer rien … :/

What does all this casting mean? We have another chance to hope for Alex Pettyfer as Jace.

I think that they should just do the movies. I dont think the tv show is going to do the books justice.

i really think that the cast must be not changed……i am really gonna HATE the idea of them changing all the casts……especially that they must put Godfrey Gao as Magnus Bane!!!!!

i read the book when i saw the movie and im fine with the actors just not fine that they are changing them the reason why i want to watch it is them well goodluck with the show a lit wont watch it hah just good luck ill try watch it and if i dont like it i wont because im fine with my imagination no need for the show cause there is a show going on in my head :)

I’m totally fine with them casting new actors for the series, but what i’m conflicted about is that they stop producing the films. You can’t just make 1 movie in a 6-movies-at-least-saga. But besides that, i’m quite excited for the series, and I agree in everything stated in this article. I hope that they’ll find some great actors, and I know that they’ll try their best no matter what!

I think this is the smartest movie they could’ve made as far as putting it on screen. The movie was okay but it was a mess. The only actors I thought were perfect for there parts were Jace and Magnus and I’m so very excited for this series! New actors and more time to explain what’s going on could really make everything a big hit!

THIS IS GOING TO KILL ME! I love the old cast it. they where the cast that made me want to read the books so it going to be hard to see someone diffident do the parte.

I’m actually really happy with these news. I like all the actors they chose to play each character on TMI, but didn’t like any of them portraying the books characters in the movie. I really hope it’s a second chance for actor Benjamin Stone to play Jace. He played Alek on the nine lives of Chloe king, which is a bit similar to tmi. He also tried for the movie, if I’m not mistaken, so it could be a second chance for him. Besides, the show will air on ABC family, where he worked on already..I really wanted to see Benjamin as Jace.

This is breaking my heart only in one way… that I have to accept that the story of the movie cast is over and they will not come together again and I am crying… BUT..I am glad that they give the wonderful story a new chance. If they find a good cast, then I am looking foward to “meet” them. =) I am just so worried that they change the story too much again.. As the movie desaster showed, the best cast can´t rescue a fucked up story… so dear producers, please think well about what you are doing! =)

I personally thought the movie was horrible. So I’m happy about this. The casting for Clary, Jace, Simon (I adore Robert Sheehan), and even Luke was really good. The rest of the casting was just terrible. Hopefully they cast correctly this time and don’t stray too far from the book. Honestly, having read the book, I was still confused as to where the movie was going.

i don’t really mind.. but can Godfrey still play Magnus? haha although I think that would be impossible. It will be cool if they actually cast an Indonesian actor though, coz you know, Magnus is an Indonesian & Indonesian is actually an entirely different race from Chinese, which is who Godfrey is. okay i could have worded this better but it’s 3am here but yeah.

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