Vulture, who broke the news that the 20-year-old was in talks for the role, is now reporting that the actor has "reached an impasse" with Screen Gems (despite a multi-million dollar deal) and will, instead, likely sign on for another YA adaptation—Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' "The Last Apprentice" based on the novel by Joseph Delaney. Vulture noted that even though Alex likes "The Mortal Instrument" book series (he told us as much last week), he likes "Last Apprentice" even better and is excited to work with the flick's director, Sergey Bodrov ("Mongol: The Rise of Gehghis Khan").

To be clear, nothing has been officially announced by Alex or Screen Gems, meaning for now, the deal is still on the table. Vulture's earlier report intimated that Screen Gems may not produce "The Mortal Instruments" if they can't secure Alex, so today's news is a bit troubling for fans not only rooting for Alex, but rooting for the franchise's film debut.

What do you think about this latest news "Mortal Instruments" fans? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!