Peter Jackson is re-teaming with his Lord of the Rings writing partners for Mortal Engines, a new YA-friendly franchise film.
The trio of writers that brought us the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies are penning the screenplay for the adaptation of Philip Reeve’s 2001 novel that kickstarted a four-book series.
Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh’s script will be directed by their fellow Middle-Earth alum Christian Rivers, a friendly face from the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVDs, who served as visual effects supervisor on all six movies.
Rivers first met Peter Jackson at the age of 17, and has storyboarded all of Jackson’s films since Braindead in 1992.
Related: Peter Jackson announces he’s directing an episode of Doctor Who (with help from Peter Capaldi)
Says Jackson of Rivers, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter:
“Christian is one of my closest collaborators. The combination of emotion and jaw-dropping visuals in Mortal Engines makes this the perfect movie for his move into feature directing. What Christian intends to do with Philip Reeve’s terrific story is going to result in an original and spectacular movie. I wish I could see it tomorrow!”
Mortal Engines is Rivers’ directorial debut, but it seems like a good fit for him: The novel takes place in an imaginary dystopian future, where London is a ginormous piece of machinery on wheels and society has reverted to Victorian times. Since Hollywood’s record of steampunk blockbusters is sketchy at best (Hugo is probably the most successful attempt to date), it’ll be great to see a dedicated visual effects artist take a swing at it.
The story should remind readers of something they’ve heard before, as Mortal Engines slots squarely into the modern wave of YA fiction (despite being published almost two decades earlier than most of them): In a dystopian future where the rich prey on the weak and everything sucks, a teenaged boy named Tom meets an outcast girl, and together they discover a secret that could upend the world as they know it.
It’s Divergent meets The Hunger Games meets Maze Runner, and unfortunately, the movie might come off looking unoriginal for that reason. But hopefully the steampunk elements and world building will make Mortal Engines stand out, avoiding a His Dark Materials-esque flop.
Are you excited for the ‘Mortal Engines’ movie?
