The Mortal Instruments Casting News

Several more characters in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare have been cast for the film adaptation.

Jared Harris as Hodge 

My Verdict: Possibly

Harris fits all of the obvious physical requirements. My only question is, can he act like Hodge? Apparently Cassandra Clare believes so. 

"Hodge is also a really complicated character. He’s not entirely bad, not entirely good. He’s a brilliant man led down a bad path a long time ago and he can’t turn back, but he does love those kids he tutored. So if you’ve seen either Mad Men or Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (in which he was Moriarty), you know this guy, and you know he’s fantastic at moral ambiguity." - Cassandra Clare

Sounds great to me. Hopefully he'll live up to the expectations. 

Lena Headey as Jocelyn Fray 

My Verdict: Possibly 

"Jocelyn is a really fun character to write. She’s overprotective (but for a reason) and often really unyielding and unsympathetic, but she’s also a heroine who saved the world from Valentine, endured a lot of loss, and can execute some pretty badass moves. Moral ambiguity is always fun to play and who does it better than the gorgeous and talented Lena Headey." - Cassandra Clare

Hmm. Not what I was expecting, but I think I can see it. I've never watched Game of Thrones, but apparently Headey's acting skills are superb. With red hair, I could see her playing a convincing Jocelyn. 

Godfrey Gao as Magnus Bane 

My Verdict: WHAT. 

I... Um.... He's just so different from the person I pictured. I'm not sure I can wrap my mind around him playing Magnus. 

"Godfrey is, in addition to being all gorgeous and stuff, super-talented (his audition was awesome), loves the books, and is, like Magnus, ridiculously tall." - Cassandra Clare

Clare's words are reassuring, but I'm still not convinced. Magnus is such a vital character. Can Godfrey pull it off...?

Robert Sheehan as Simon Lewis 

My Verdict: No. 

"When people say "He doesn't look like Simon" they mean "He doesn't look like Simon in my head" (since Simon, not being real, does not look a specific way beyond the general markers given to him in the book - brown hair, brown eyes, medium height, thin. Until we replace actors with the human equivalent of Dr. Who's psychic paper, where you look at it and see whatever you want to see, there will never be total consensus about what a fictional character looks like or whether an actor matches them. Especially if you've gotten attached to a piece of fancasting. All that goes away when you actually see the actor acting the part, because the acting is actually what matters." - Cassandra Clare

But.... but.... please..... no.........
I understand what Clare is saying. I'm just not convinced by Sheehan. At all.

Jace & Clary 

My Verdict: Yay on Lily Collins, nay on Jamie Campbell Bower

"He auditioned with Lily, and he and Lily had incredible chemistry that sort of blazed off the scene. I’m just sitting here watching this on my computer, and you know, he was not the only person they’ve ever sent me to look at. I’ve gotten lots of headshots and this and that, and I’m watching the audition and I literally started crying because that was my Jace and Clary on the screen. And it’s an incredible feeling to see that even as an audition. This is amazing. He was snarky funny where he needed to be snarky funny, and he was badass where he needed to be badass. And he and Lily were incredible together." - Cassandra Clare

I so want to believe that Bower can play Jace. I really do. Jace is one of my favorite fictional characters, and I am dying to see him brought to life. But I'm not sure Bower is the right person to do that. He looks nothing like my mental image of Jace, besides his hair color. Despite Clare's reassuring words, I'm still worried.

Lily Collins is nearly identical to my mental image of Clary. I had a hard time picking any actress to match her, so I was pretty open to suggestions. Collins is probably the most accurate representation I've seen yet. So, wohoo for that!

What do you guys think? I really do want to hear the opinions of other TMI fans. Am I alone in disliking some of the cast? Any reasons for why you hate/love any of the actors?