Byzantium is set in modern day England and follows the daily survival of a mother and daughter who just happen to be 200-year old vampires. The mother Clara (Gemma Arterton) is ruthlessly protective of her daughter Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan, apparently it’s pronounced Sur-Shuh) and would not hesitate to rip the head off anyone who threatens them. Eleanor is forever sixteen and longs to lead a normal life and in diary style writes her life story every day, only to tear it up every day. Eleanor has accepted her fate and her instinct draws her to take human blood but she chooses to feed only off the old or weak that are ready to give up their life when their time comes.

Forced to leave their grime ridden flat they both flee the city suburb to escape The Brotherhood, an ancient sect that have been tracking the pair since the early 19th century. They hitch a ride to a seaside town where Clara meets lonely and depressed Noel (Danny Mays) who allows Clara and Eleanor to stay in his recently departed Mother’s run down B&B which Clara soon turns into a brothel to earn a living. Eleanor is sick of constantly living a lie and yearns to tell the truth about who and what she is. She befriends a young man Frank (Caleb Landry Jones) who is of a similar human age. Frank has a strange personality and an open mind as well as being a leukaemia sufferer which intrigues her. Frank becomes smitten with Eleanor but will Clara allow this relationship to grow or will her over protective instinct rise up?

The story moves from the current era to the early 1800’s when the pair were created and we have a back-story involving two young military men. Darvell (Sam Riley) is a gentlemanly officer while his fellow officer and companion Ruthven (Johnny Lee Miller) is a complete cad with a real nasty streak.

This is more ‘Let the Right One In’ than ‘Twilight’ and the mother daughter relationship is a nice touch. You really care for these two blood sucking fugitives. There is a slight similarity with the ‘Interview with the Vampire’ two main characters. Clara has the vampire killer instinct of Lestat, whereas Eleanor reluctantly takes lives to survive as did Louis.

The film is based on a Moira Buffini ‘young adult’ drama called A Vampire Story which played at the National Theatre. Brit producer Stephen Woolley took his daughter to see the play and was so impressed that he asked the author to write the screenplay for a film version.

According to Moira Buffini they only ever had Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan in mind for then two lead roles. Arterton looks absolutely stunning throughout the film and plays the role with a dangerous edge. Ronan is still only nineteen years old but is very much a seasoned performer already with an Oscar nomination under her belt. She always puts in a great performance. Also watch out for an understated performance from Tom Hollander as the college teacher.

I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it as an alternative to the normal Vampire genre.

Source

April 16 marks the debut of the first Bane Chronicles story, “What Really Happened in Peru.”

Entertainment Weekly recently revealed the cover for the upcoming novel. The Bane Chronicles follows the adventures of Mortal Instruments fan favorite Magnus Bane across ten stories.

Here is a list of The Bane Chronicles stories & release dates:

What Really Happened in Peru (April 16, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices know that Magnus Bane is banned from Peru—and now they can find out why. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.

There are good reasons Peru is off-limits to Magnus Bane. Follow Magnus’s Peruvian escapades as he drags his fellow warlocks Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss into trouble, learns several instruments (which he plays shockingly), dances (which he does shockingly), and disgraces his host nation by doing something unspeakable to the Nazca Lines.

This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, What Really Happened in Peru, is written by Sarah Rees Brennan and Cassandra Clare.

The Runaway Queen (May 21, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson

Magnus Bane has a royal role in the French Revolution—if the angry mobs don’t spoil his spells. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.

While in France, immortal warlock Magnus Bane finds himself attempting to rescue the royal family from the horrors of the French Revolution—after being roped into this mess by a most attractive count. Naturally, the daring escape calls for invisible air balloons…

This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, The Runaway Queen, is written by Maureen Johnson and Cassandra Clare.

Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale (June 18, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

Magnus Bane leverages his alliances with Downworlders and Shadowhunters on a venture to Victorian London. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.

When immortal warlock Magnus Bane attends preliminary peace talks between the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders in Victorian London, he is charmed by two very different people: the vampire Camille Belcourt and the young Shadowhunter, Edmund Herondale. Will winning hearts mean choosing sides?

This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale, is written by Sarah Rees Brennan and Cassandra Clare.

The Rise of the Hotel Dumont (July 16, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson

In 1920s Manhattan, Magnus Bane hobnobs with the elite at a glamorous Jazz Age hotspot. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.

The immortal Magnus Bane is making the most of his time in the Roaring Twenties: He’s settled into New York society and is thriving among the fashionable jazz set. And there is nowhere better to see and be seen than the glamorous Hotel Dumont, a glittering new addition to the Manhattan landscape. But a different type of glamour may be at play…

This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, The Rise of the Hotel Dumont, is written by Maureen Johnson and Cassandra Clare.

The Fall of the Hotel Dumort (August 20, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson

Magnus Bane watches the once-glamorous Hotel Dumont become something else altogether in 1970s New York City. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.

Fifty years after the Jazz Age rise of the Hotel Dumont, immortal warlock Magnus Bane knows the Manhattan landmark is on the decline. The once-beautiful Hotel Dumont has fallen into a decayed thing, a ruin, as dead as a place can be. But the vampires don’t mind…

This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, The Fall of the Hotel Dumort, is written by Maureen Johnson and Cassandra Clare.

Saving Raphael Santiago (September 17, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

—One of the more interesting jobs Magnus has ever been involved in… A distraught mother in 1950s New York hires Magnus to find her son, Raphael, but when Magnus finds him young Raphael is already beyond saving. Or is he?

No Immortal Can Keep a Secret (October 15, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson

Magnus at the turn of the 20th century decides to try this new “psychoanalysis” with Dr. Freud. But clearly the doctor has no experience to help deal with a centuries-old warlock with a very complicated dating history and some very unusual father issues.

The Course of True Love [And First Dates] (November 19, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare

Magnus and Alec’s first date.

What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (December 17, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

What To Buy The Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway) Set between City of Ashes and City of Glass. Magnus has to find the perfect birthday present, deal with the demon he’s conjured up for a very irritating client, and work out what’s going on between him and Alec, anyway.

The Letter (December 31, 2013)

By Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan

No spoilers for this one.

According to The Hollywood Reporter Stephanie Sanditz has been hired to pen “Infernal Devices,” an adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s spin-off book series.

Even though the first movie, “City of Bones” doesn’t open in cinemas until August 23rd, Constantin Films is already working on a prequel.

The company has thrown into development Infernal Devices, an adaptation of the spin-off book series written by Mortal Instruments author Cassandra Clare, and has hired Stephanie Sanditz to write the screenplay.

Infernal Devices is set in Victorian England and sees a new teen girl plunged into a journey of adventure and self-discovery. The books feature the ancestors of many Mortal Instruments characters as well as some character overlap.
Three books, titled Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess, have been published.
Constantin is also on the hunt for a director to bring on Infernal Devices.

The company has a certain amount of faith in the power of Clare and her works. While not at the level of a Stephenie Meyer or Suzanne Collins, the author has a legion of devoted followers, mostly teen girls, the same demographic that has helped power other YA franchises.

As an example, Mortal Instruments held a panel at the recent WonderCon and Clare — not actors such as Lily Collins — had fans lining up to gush and ask questions.

Sanditz, repped by Gersh, is an actress-turned-screenwriter. Key in getting the Infernal Devices gig was her script for The Mediator, an adaptation of the ghost love story book series by Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries) being developed by A Bigger Boat.