Constantin Film, the studio behind last month’s bomb THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, has announced that they are “pushing back” the planned sequel, CITY OF ASHES, in order to “analyze the results to date and reposition the franchise.” Which is, of course, a nice way of saying “we’re calling it a day.”
You’ll recall (or maybe not) that THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS was positioned to be the next big thing in book-to-screen franchises, but when the film opened with a pathetic $9 million, it was obvious that the book’s success was not going to be repeated at the box office. (The Harold Zwart film has since made only $37 million worldwide.)
Here’s Constantin’s official statement on the matter:
“Constantin Film has a long tradition of adapting books to the big screen. Pushing back the start of production of City of Ashes was a decision we did not take lightly. But after speaking with all of our partners on the creative and distribution side, it was clear that it will be beneficial to have more time to reposition the film in the current marketplace. The Mortal Instruments series has an incredibly loyal and ardent fan base and is a best-selling book series. While taking Cassandra Claire’s [sic] vision to the screen we want to make sure to draw on the full potential of the franchise.”
Translation: We’re probably not going to waste anymore money on this turkey.
The wheels were actually already in motion on CITY OF ASHES, which makes this extra damning: Constantin was so high on THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS that they quickly greenlit the sequel earlier this year. Perhaps they jinxed themselves with that hasty move.
MORTAL INSTRUMENTS star Lena Headey