Lily Collins

Lily Collins

'The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes' has been postponed.

Constantin Film has announced it will delay production on the sequel to fantasy film 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones', but has given no indication as to when the movie will be made.

The news follows lacklustre box office receipts for the first film - based on Cassandra Clare's best-selling novel - which has grossed just $58 million worldwide since its release in August.

Constantin Film's Martin Moszkowicz said in a statement: "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 market place."

The movie studio green-lit a sequel before the release of 'City of Bones', which starred Lily Collins as protagonist Clary Fray, in a bid to launch a fantasy franchise akin to 'The Hunger Games' and 'Harry Potter'.

The film co-starred Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Lena Headey and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

A-list actress Sigourney Weaver was recently rumoured to be joining the cast for the now-delayed sequel.