Cassandra Clare addresses Alec’s (future) casting

Despite the excitement yesterday brought with the addition of three new cast members to The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, with the additions of Lena Headey, Jared Harris and Godfrey Gao, fans are still anxiously clamoring for news on the casting of Alec Lightwood.

Clare’s Tumblr inbox was packed full of questions about the blue-eyed, black haired Shadowhunter’s casting, so she addressed the fandom’s concern:

I love you guys, and I completely understand being frantic to know who Alec is. I didn’t realize when I started writing these books how utterly beloved a character he would turn out to be. Jace has the fiery heart, but Alec’s always had that gentle soul —he’s Lawful Good, but he’ll always put his family first. And he’s so easily hurt that I think people hurt when he hurts. He’s our blue-eyed baby.

So I totes get it, and all I can say is that I can’t tell you, because there isn’t anything to tell you. Most of the cast is cast, the rest is subject to negotiations that are ongoing. I can’t start throwing around random actor names that I think are in negotiations: it’s illegal, and not useful (everyone freaks out, either in a good or bad way, and then – boom! – it’s not true anyway.) Plus, if I did that, the studio would stop telling me anything (wisely, as I would have proved to be totally untrustworthy) and I want to be there to tell you when casting stuff happens. I know you trust me, and I know you know IMDB is useless: if I post something I want you to know it’s 100% true and absolutely gonna happen.

I know Alec is a huge number of people’s favorite character: I know there’s a huge level of anxiety that he be the gorgeous, sexy, strong guy you know from the books. The casting folks have done a fantastic job so far so all I can say is cross your fingers, quietly repeat “Alec will be a beautiful sexy blue-eyed* BAMF” and lo, perhaps it will come to be! (And soon.) I know that’s what I will be doing!

*If they cast a dark-eyed actor I do believe they will try for blue contacts; not all actors can wear contacts and work, so it depends who gets cast, but they do know that the blue eyes are an important plot bit.

With filming on The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones slated to begin on August 20 in Toronto, the casting announcements of major characters Alec, Valentine and Luke are on the way.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones will be released in theaters on August 23, 2013.

Who would you like to see play Alec? Sound off in the comments!