Shadowhunters TV Show…Is There Hope?

Pam:
Let me just start by saying that I LOVE the Moral Instruments books series.  And I LOVE Infernal Devices.  And I actually really liked the movie (except for the changes in some main plot points and the actor who played Jace didn't have the right look). But this series is BAD.  And I keep watching it.  I keep hoping it will get better and it doesn't.  

Here's why it's really bad:
1.  The acting.  It's HORRIBLE.  I mean, it may be the worst acting I've ever seen.  It's so overly dramatic and over the top.

2.  The casting (and look) of certain characters.  Isabelle is sort of skanky (although this last episode it looks like she's changing her look…thank you!) and what is up with Jace's hair?  The actress who plays Clary has the right look and actually has her whininess down, but she's the worst of the bunch as far as her acting skills, which is saying a lot.  Simon has the right look as well, but he's getting on my nerves (although that's probably true to the book as well).  Alec is getting better.

3.  Special effects.  The whole thing is ridiculous, with the special effects almost laughably bad.

4.  The plot.  Why is it following the book (sort of)?  When I first heard about the series, I just figured it would be like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and have the Shadowhunters going week to week fighting demons.  Wouldn't that have been better?  

I had such high hopes for this series.  Really disappointed.

Sheri:

So Pam tell us how you really feel about the series!  While I pretty much agree with Pam's critiques, I am STILL optimistic that the series will improve.  In fact, I have seen some improvements in the last two episodes.  What's changed you might ask? 

Magnus Bane has ARRIVED.  Harry Shum Jr. (yes Mike Chang from Glee) plays Magnus. Even though his performance can be a bit over the top I can't help but love Magnus and I love the way they are developing the relationship between Magnus and Alec.  It's subtle and charming and utterly Alec and Magnus!

The parents are back.  One of the bold casting differences I definitely admire is the decision to cast Isaiah Mustafa as Luc Galloway.  That's right, he's  African American!   While Luc's role in the first 4 episodes was pretty minor it has grown dramatically and he is doing an excellent job in my opinion.  In addition to Luc, the Lightwoods are also back from Idris and have added some interesting twists to the story  line or at least brought out some new tensions I don't remember from the books. Having the parents back seems to have improved the abilities of the younger actors and adds some more depth to the story line.

Even though many of the young actors are a bit over the top, I would like to give a round of applause to the cast diversity.  On the other hand, I would really appreciate toning down the shaming of Isabelle.  I have no problem with the decision to make her comfortable with her sexuality but I don't understand why every episode then has to shame her for the thing that we are supposed to admire about her.  Frankly it's confusing for me and I'm a grown adult so I can only imagine how confusing it can be for the younger viewers. 

At the end of the day I am still excited when the new episode is released on Tuesday nights and I sincerely hope the series is picked up for next year but I completely agree that it needs a lot of work!   

What do you think?  Are you watching the show?  Do you like it?  Dislike it?  Think it has hope? 

YA TV: Wolf Blood

Television Show: Wolfblood 

Series Dates: 2012-

Creator: Debbie Moon

Production Co.: BBC

I have recently made a commitment to exercising and am encouraging these healthy behaviors by watching YA television shows.  The first series I have chosen to watch has been in my Netflix queue for months and I am so excited to finally watch it. My only exercise rule is that I can only watch new episodes if I am on my elliptical machine.  Since I am loving this show, it's working really well.

The series was created by Debbie Moon for British television.  It follows the lives of two teenage "wolfbloods".  Wolfbloods can and have lived amongst humans for centuries.  While some wolfbloods live peacefully with humans others do not.  Maddy and Rhydian are the two main characters and they have to keep their secret from all their school friends.  While Maddy lives with supportive parents who can teach her about her heritage, Rhydian lives with foster parents.  Even though I have only watched four episodes they have all been great and addressed several important yet predictable themes in tween/teenage television: parental neglect, hostile teachers, and school cliques.

Wish me luck!

Posted By: Sheri

Movie Review: Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart

Movie: Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart
Original Title: "Jack et la mécanique du coeur" 
Director: Stephane Berla, Mathias Malzieu,
Screenplay: Mathias Malzieu
Original Release: October 2013, France
U.S. Release: 2014

Movie Review:
Steam punk for older kids!  This was a fascinating movie to watch with my children.  My 8 year old wasn't the least bit interested but my 10 year old loved it.  The images and storyline were both very different from what they usually see so I was really glad we watched it.  It did have some scenes that pushed the boundaries of what we normally let the kids watch, especially my 8 year old, but I was able to explain it for the most part.

The basic storyline is that Jack's heart was replaced with a clock when he was a baby.  In order to keep the clock working Jack is supposed to avoid strong emotions.  This becomes very difficult however as he deals with loss, school yard bullies, and falling in love.

I would definitely recommend this move for YA fans who like animated movies, fans of Tim Burton's work, and those who enjoy the steampunk genre.  While it's not exactly steampunk it definitely has elements running throughout.

Posted By: Sheri

Movie Review: The Giver

Movie: The Giver

Director: Phillip Noyce

Length: 97 minutes

Screenwriter: Michael Mitnick and Robert D. Weide

U.S. Release: August 15, 2014

Based on the Book: The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1)

Author:  Lois Lowry
Publisher:  Ember, 179 pages
Publication Date:  1993

Movie Review:
I thought I had read this book only to realize while watching the movie that I never have, but I definitely will over the summer.  This was such an interesting story about a dystopian society where memory has been lost and primary goals of the society elders are to promote sameness and tranquility.  At age 18 in the society all the children transition into their adult functions.  It's at this point that the main character Jonas learns that he will be the next Receiver.  A complex relationship then emerges between the Giver and the Receiver.  I loved the cinematography in this film and the costumes and sets were gorgeous.  If you haven't had a chance to watch this one I highly recommend it.

Posted By: Sheri

Movie Review: Austenland

Movie: Austenland
Director: Jerusha Hess
Screenwriter: Jerusha Hess and Shannon Hale
U.S. Released: August 2013

Book: Austenland
Author: Shannon Hale
Published: May 29, 2007

Review:
I came across this book at my university library when I was looking for audiobooks to listen to while caring for my newborn son.  As my sleep-deprived memory recalls, the book was funny, sweet, romantic, and very British even though the main character is not British.  Given all of this, I had high expectations for this movie.

Keri Russell was a wonderful choice for Jane Hayes, the romantic American obsessed with Mr. Darcy, and JJ Field as Henry Nobley was divine.  Unfortunately, most of the other choices were less notable and frankly seemed rather odd to me if one is judging on how much the characters reflected those found in the book.  On the other hand, as characters in a movie, I am always drawn to actress Jennifer Coolidge who played Elizabeth Charming.

The film is about an Austen (Mr. Darcy) obsessed mid twenties woman who decides to spend her entire life savings to go on vacation at an Austen theme park.  Before you dismiss this destination as ludicrous you should know that even official historical landmarks directly related to Austen's life regularly stage "reenactments" for fans to participate in.  Upon arriving, Jane is immediately thrown together with a supporting cast member but finds herself drawn to Mr. Nobley.  What then develops is the typical love triangle with an atypical story line.  Having read the book I knew what to expect but I thought the screenwriter and director did a great job making sure the audience understood Jane's dilemma: does she embrace a possible real love or does she continue to embrace her idealized Mr. Darcy.  I thought the last scene in Jane's apartment was by far the most true to Austen's own stories and would have loved a few more scenes between Jane and her chosen love.

Posted By: Sheri

Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower



The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Movie Released: October 12, 2012
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Screenplay: Stephen Chbosky
Length: 102 minutes

Based on the Book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author: Stephen Chbosky
Publisher: MTV Books and Pocket Books
Publication Date: February 1, 1999

Movie Review:
So I knew nothing about the book or the movie before I started watching it, except what I learned in the preview.  I LOVED every minute of the movie.  I thought the actors were fabulous, loved the music, and loved what they were dealing with.  Then I started SOBBING not in the way that makes you want to turn off the movie but in the way that reminds you just how crappy life can be for some people.  If you haven't seen this movie I would strongly recommend it, and if you have, I would say see it again.

Posted By: Sheri



Movie Review: Vampire Academy

I was excited to see Vampire Academy, but I had rather low expectations given the trailers.  I actually just thought the first book in the series was ok, but I absolutely loved the entire series and I was curious to see how well it translated to the big screen.  I really enjoyed it.

The plot stays true to the book, and I can't think of any major scene or major plot point that wasn't in the movie.  It had a nice balance of dark and funny (the quips from Rose were pretty hilarious) so it felt like the movie stayed true to the book.  I thought the beginning was fairly well done to explain the vampire world (sometimes that's the hardest thing to do in a movie) and I think it's easy for non book readers to follow and understand.  It did have a Mean Girls kind of feel to it, with a decent amount of high school drama, but if you think about the first book, that was a lot of it.

Ok, the actors.  Zoey Deutch was fantastic, I think she was the perfect Rose.  She was spunky, sassy, beautiful, and hilarious.  I enjoyed watching her play the part. 

I also liked Danila Kozlovsky as Dimitri.  He was definitely the strong and silent type, very reserved, with the occasional facial expressions showing a break in his stoicism (the way he would look at Rose sometimes when she didn't know he was looking...very Dimitri).  And even though sometimes his accent was a little much, it was realistic (I mean, the guy is Russian). 

Now his hair was just awful, but that is really not his fault.  Why can movies change major plot points but not just give the guy short hair?  I know he had long hair in the books (which I hated, by the way) but why not just change that?  And it doesn't even make sense given that Rose (in the books and movie) talks about cutting her hair so she can show the Strigoi marks.  So it completely doesn't make sense for Dimitri to have long hair.  Ok, I spent way to much time on the hair.  But look at the pictures below.  How much better does he look with short hair???

Now Lucy Fry and Dominic Sherwood as Lissa and Christian...they were okay.  I did like that the movie focused on Rose and Lissa's relationship, which was also true to the book.  Christian was intense, but there was just something lacking for me in his character.  And Lissa's accent...I don't know, there was just something about it that bothered me, but I guess it was royal-like.  

In sum, an enjoyable film and a pretty faithful adaptation.  So go see it!  As Richelle Mead said, there needs to be a second movie so we can see who gets cast as Adrian.  If that's not enough incentive, I don't know what is!  

Posted by:  Pam

Movie Review: Beastly

Beastly

Movie Released: March 4, 2011
Director: Daniel Barnz
Screenplay: Daniel Barnz
Length: 86 minutes

Based on the Book: Beastly
Author: Alex Flinn
Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication Date: October 2, 2007
Click here for my review.

Movie Review: As many of us know all too well, movie adaptations don’t always work out.  So when I discovered there was a movie adaptation of Beastly by Alex Flinn, I was excited and hesitant. When I looked at the cast I was even a little optimistic, with Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfur as the leads and Mary-Kate Olsen, LisaGay Hamilton, and Neil Patrick Harris playing important supporting roles. 

Despite a great book and a great cast the movie was only okay.  Coming in at only 86 minutes the director/screenwriter sacrificed the time spent developing the emotional and intellectual relationship between Kyle and Lindy.  Instead, he chooses to focus on the few scenes where the Beast impresses Lindy with his wealth and ability to give her what she wants.  What I liked most about Beastly the book was the attention paid to how the Beast changes himself and most of that is lost in the movie adaptation.  Instead, the focus is on how both Lindy and Kyle fall for one another for largely superficial reasons.  Even though I didn’t love the movie the first time I watched it, I have watched it two times since. This probably says more about my movie watching habits than the movie itself.

Posted By: Sheri

Movie Review: Catching Fire

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the movies and I have been waiting very patiently for this particular release! Be warned my review is mostly a love fest and I am trying to not spoil anything for anyone.

First, I loved the amount of time dedicated to understanding Katniss and Peeta's lives since winning the games in the last movie.  I also appreciated getting to see what life is like in some of the districts while they were on their victory tour.  In fact, my only significant critique of the movie was too little time spent on explaining the seeds of the revolution instead we only get glimpses of revolutionary acts.  I thought the writers/director did a nice job balancing the emotions Katniss feels for both Gale and Peeta throughout the movie.  As with the last movie, I loved the casting for the other tributes and the time spent letting us get to know them on some level.  I was thrilled so little time was spent in the arena and that we only got glimpses of the violence.  I believe this decision also helped people who had not read the books make sense of the ending which to be frank was abrupt but leaves no doubt there will be a third movie!  HOORAH! 

If you've seen the movie please share your thoughts, if not have you seen other movies you liked recently?

~Posted by Sheri

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1)

Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: December 1, 2009

Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Listening Length: 17 hours and 38 minutes
Audiobook Publisher: Hachette Audio

Movie Released: February 14, 2013
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Screenwriter: LaGravenese, Garcia, Stohl
Length: 124 minutes

Goodreads:
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Review:
My first introduction to this series was the movie.  Never having read the book I actually enjoyed the film even though several people I know did not.  Since they had read the book they were definitely disappointed in some of the major plot changes.  I, on the other hand, was blissfully unaware.  Now that I have listened to the book I completely understand why readers were so dismayed!  So much richness of the book is lost particularly the psychological complexities of Lena and Ethan as individuals but also their relationship.

One of the things I didn't like about the movie but I loved about the audiobook was the male narrator. Kevin Collins has a beautiful Southern accent and he was able to capture the female voices in a wonderful way.  In fact, reading a YA book from a male perspective was a really nice change of pace.  I particularly liked when Ethan would interact with Macon and when Macon would interact with Amma!

The only drawback to this particular audiobook is the length.  Coming in at 17 hours it is a commitment but I am definitely looking forward to listening to book number 2, Beautiful Darkness.

Discussion Question: Zombies Hot or Not?

  

*SPOILER ABOUT WARM BODIES*

Sheri:  My own interest in zombies began after watching the movie Warm Bodies which is based on the book Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion.  There was just something so adorable about the main character, who starts off as a zombie but becomes human over the course of the movie.

Since watching Warm Bodies, I have read a few books where zombies are the main character and have even tried watching other television shows or movies focusing on zombies.  What I have come to realize is that some people write about Zombies overcoming the "disease" that causes them to be living undead (e.g. Dearly Departed) while others write about zombies who are the bad guys and stay the bad guys (e.g.. World War Z).  While I thought I liked both types of zombie books, I really only like the ones where the zombies overcome being zombies and return to the living where they are once again adorable young men and women. 

Pam:  Well, I actually have to disagree. Although I haven't read either Dearly Departed or Warm Bodies (although I loved the movie), I have read a few books where the zombies are the bad guys and I really enjoyed them.  I just finished reading Alice in Zombieland and Through the Zombie Glass and I absolutely loved them.  Five stars to both!  And then there's the Something Strange and Deadly series, which is incredible.  And the Ashes trilogy, which was dark and disturbing and not as clear cut when it comes to the evilness of the zombies, but very entertaining.  I know there's more, but those are ones I can think of off the top of my head.  So for me, not hot, because...ewww, but hot in that they make good villains.

What do you think? 

Do you like books about zombies and if so which ones? 

Or is the word "zombies" one of those words that makes you think "I don't want to read that"?

Spoiler Movie Review: Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

We both really enjoyed the movie and we thought we would discuss some differences between the movie and the book.  Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie (or read the book) because otherwise we will ruin it for you.  

A large portion of the movie followed the book, for the most part.  There were minor differences that made sense to us.  For example, when they go save Simon from the vampires at the hotel, it's not just Clary and Jace, but also Isabelle and Alec.  That makes sense for all of the main characters to be in more scenes.  There were other differences that didn't make as much sense.  Simon isn't turned into a rat and mistakenly taken by the vampires.  They actually target him by spiking his drink and then take him because they're really after Clary and the cup.  Why?  No clue.  (There's also no flying motorcycles, by the way).  Also, when they go back to get the card of the cup and the woman is a demon, instead of Simon getting rid of the demon with the bow and arrow (shooting out the skylight to let in the sun), he smacks her with a shovel and then Jace gets rid of the demon (and they don't make it clear that this demon was not killed, just sent back).  Why?  No clue.

There were other scenes, and even lines, that were straight from the book, which was great to see.  Some snarky comments by Jace were almost word for word from the book.  And both of us really liked Jamie Campbell Bower, the actor that played Jace, even though we weren't thrilled about him before seeing the movie.  Lily Collins also was an excellent Clary.

Now to the big differences that we're curious about affecting the rest of the movies.  There's a portal in the Institute, which is how Valentine gets into there, which was completely different from the book, and how Valentine is able to do that is an important part of later books.  Clary goes to see Hodge alone in the library with the cup and then Valentine comes through the portal and tells her she is his daughter (which was different from the book). In the book, it's both Clary and Jace, and Valentine takes both the cup and Jace.

In the movie, Clary then puts the cup back into the card (Valentine is trying to get her to drink from it for some reason, after he puts his blood into it) and jumps through the portal, landing right outside of Luke's bookstore.  Obviously none of that happens in the book.  

So Valentine and Hodge are left at the Institute, with no way of getting the cup out of the card.  Then Hodge suggests to Valentine to lie to Clary and Jace that both of them are his children.  So then Jace shows up and doesn't recognize Valentine as his father, but he knows that he is Valentine.  Completely different from the book.  So Valentine does something that wasn't too clear, and he makes Jace suddenly sees his face as his father (remembering the scene with the bird that he gave Jace for his birthday and then killed).  So does that mean Valentine didn't really raise Jace?  It wasn't clear to us, it seemed as if he just made that up on the spot.  If he did raise Jace, why wouldn't Jace remember him as his father, which is what happened in the book?  

Meanwhile, Hodge and Valentine let demons into the Institute, and Clary and Luke show up with a bunch of werewolves and they have to fight the demons, along with Isabelle and Simon.  And Clary's mom somehow winds up at the Institute.  Clary finds Valentine, her mom, and Jace and that's when she  finds out that Jace is Valentine's son, her brother.  Obviously that is totally different because in the book she knows they are brother and sister before Jace does, but in the movie it is the complete opposite.  

Jace and Valentine are fighting, Valentine is about to kill him, and then Clary is holding the cup in the portal, about the drop it.  She then gives it to Valentine and then shoves him through the portal.  He tries to grab her back, but Jace holds onto her, and then she stabs something through the portal, and then it freezes the portal, and then it bursts.  And come to find out, Clary gave Valentine the replica of the cup, not the real one.  So obviously that is completely different from the book, where Valentine has the cup and goes through the portal (that is not at the Institute) to Idris.

We left out a lot of what happens, but we thought it was interesting how many changes they made at the very end.  Some of it made sense (having all of the action happen at the Institute, and more fights involving more of the characters), but other parts of it, not so much.  Still, absolutely loved the movie and we hope they keep making them!

Let us know your thoughts!  What did you think of the movie?  The differences between the book and the movie?  What other differences did you notice?

Book Review: The 100 by Kass Morgan

The 100

Author:  Kass Morgan
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 336 pages
Expected Publication Date:  September 3, 2013

From Goodreads:
In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

Review:
Sci-fi?  Check.  Romance?  Check.  

The book is told from four different POVs:  Clarke, Wells, Bellamy, and Glass.  Two guys, two girls.  Three of the four are sent to Earth while the fourth stays on the spaceship.  The Colony (the spaceship) has very strict rules and the 100 sent to Earth are all in jail for really small things (for the most part).  Stealing, that sort of thing.  And the penalty is death, they just have to wait until they turn eighteen.  Then apparently they have a retrial, but it's a sham, and then they are executed.  So the book starts with Clarke finding out that they are sending 100 of them to Earth, to make sure that it is safe and then if it is, they all will go back (it's been about 300 years since Earth became uninhabitable for some reason).

I really enjoyed this book, but I definitely have questions.  Obviously they're living on a spaceship and have been for about 300 years, so it seems weird that they wouldn't have the technology to send a probe or something to find out if there is radiation instead of sending people, even if they don't care about them.  Oh well.

Learning about life on the spaceship was interesting, so I was glad one POV was from someone who stayed.  I also had questions about that as well.  More explanation could have been given about the strict rules (it's about resources, but still).  Also, why did they set things up the way they did?  There appear to be three different parts of the ship, with one part being the rich part, Phoenix, and then the other parts being poor, and they even have different accents, which didn't make sense to me because you could just walk from one part to the other in a few minutes and they seemed to interact a lot.  So why different accents?

The characters were definitely interesting.  They all had secrets, which were revealed slowly through the book, through flashbacks, which was nicely done.  Why had they been confined--what was their "crime"?  And Wells...I really felt for him, but he made the most horrible decisions.  One after the other.  I'm still rooting for him, but still.  

The book ends with a huge cliffhanger (of course!)  Even though there were a couple of things that bothered me about the book, I loved it.  I couldn't put it down.  

And it will be a new TV series mid-season.  From the trailer I saw, there are definitely differences that I noticed, including characters in the TV series that are not in the book at all.  Here is a link to a post about the series:  New TV YA Series based on new book series! The 100


                           Posted by:  Pam

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Movie Adaptations

And, even though it's TV

We cannot wait for The City of Bones 

and Divergent movies!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

New TV YA series based on new book series! The 100

I was so sad the Delirium pilot was rejected, but I just came across this new television series on CW that is based on a new book series.  Sounds interesting!

From the CW website:

Ninety-seven years ago, nuclear Armageddon decimated planet Earth, destroying civilization. The only survivors were the 400 inhabitants of 12 international space stations that were in orbit at the time. Three generations have been born in space, the survivors now number 4,000, and resources are running out on their dying "Ark" - the 12 stations now linked together and repurposed to keep the survivors alive. Draconian measures including capital punishment and population control are the order of the day, as the leaders of the Ark take ruthless steps to ensure their future, including secretly exiling a group of 100 juvenile prisoners to the Earth's surface to test whether it's habitable. For the first time in nearly a century, humans have returned to planet Earth. Among the 100 exiles are Clarke, the bright teenage daughter of the Ark's chief medical officer; Wells, son of the Ark’s Chancellor; the daredevil Finn; and the brother/sister duo Bellamy and Octavia, whose illegal sibling status has always led them to flaunt the rules. Technologically blind to what’s happening on the planet below them, the Ark’s leaders - Clarke’s widowed mother, Abby; the Chancellor, Jaha; and his shadowy second in command, Kane - are faced with difficult decisions about life, death and the continued existence of the human race. For the 100 young people on Earth, however, the alien planet they’ve never known is a mysterious realm that can be magical one moment and lethal the next. With the survival of the human race entirely in their hands, THE 100 must find a way to transcend their differences, unite and forge a new path on a wildly changed Earth that’s primitive, intense and teeming with the unknown.

The series stars Eliza Taylor (newcomer) as Clarke, Paige Turco (“Person of Interest,” “Damages”) as Abby, Thomas McDonell (“Suburgatory”) as Finn, Eli Goree (“Emily Owens, M.D.”) as Wells, Marie Avgeropoulos (“50/50“) as Octavia, Bob Morley (newcomer) as Bellamy, Kelly Hu (“X2: X-Men United,” “Arrow”) as Cece, Christopher Larkin (“Squad 85”) as Monty, Devon Bostick (“Aim High”) as Jasper, with Isaiah Washington (upcoming “Blue Caprice,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) as Chancellor Jaha, and Henry Ian Cusick (“Lost,” “Scandal”) as Kane.

Based on the upcoming book series by Kass Morgan, THE 100 is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Matthew Miller (“Human Target,” “Chuck”), Jason Rothenberg (upcoming “Twilight Zone” feature), Bharat Nalluri (“Torchwood,” “Emily Owens, M.D.”), Leslie Morgenstein (“The Vampire Diaries”) and Gina Girolamo (“The Secret Circle”). The pilot was directed by Bharat Nalluri.

And here is the trailer:

The TV series is based on a new book series, The 100, by Kass Morgan.  Expected publication date is September 3, 2013, by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.  Can't wait!