Harald Zwart and Cassandra Clare are learning how to walk the thin line between film and novel, and they are taking it seriously. The TMI fandom will be happy to know that both director and author are truly collaborating on The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in order to make it both accessible to new audiences, as well as true to the essence of the book.
Everyone accepts the fact that there must be some changes in order to make the transition from page to screen. Sacrifices, no matter how hard hard, must be made. Not all adaptations can be as well done as Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. Some must face the cuts of beloved characters, which sadly seems the case with Uriah in Divergent. Although there are sometimes those adaptations that infuriate fans because of the blatant disregard for even the basic storyline (The Vampire Diaries).
Zwart understands exactly how delicate the balance is, and instead of taking the project and making it completely his own, has developed a solid working relationship with Clare. It has been a learning process for both of them. Zwart’s been learning to look to Clare for insight into characters and significance of certain points, while Clare has had to learn to let go and let Zwart condense.
“There will naturally be differences between a book and the film based off it, but this relationship ensures that fans of the books and new fans to the film will find themselves introduced into a world that seamlessly combines the two.”
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones hits theaters on Aug 25, 2013.
Source: Film School Rejects
