Peter Jackson became a household name in the early 2000’s with his astronomically successful “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. After cementing himself as an icon of the fantasy genre (and a four-year break since his last film), he’s set to do it again with Philip Reeve’s “Mortal Engines” series. While he’s not directing this one, his fingerprints are seen all over.
Check out the synopsis:
Hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), an outcast from London, along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.
Jackson has wanted to get this film made for quite some time. He first began developing and writing a script with his usual co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens back in 2009. Then, production was announced in 2016 with Jackson’s longtime collaborator Christian Rivers sitting in the director’s chair.
The two have worked together on several of Jackson’s films including the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “King Kong,” and the “Hobbit” trilogy. Rivers served in various ways on those films as a visual effects supervisor, unit director, and storyboard artist. It’s clear from the trailer that Rivers has picked up a few tricks along the way from his mentor for his first feature film.
With Jackson’s keen eye for discovering great talent, stars Sheehan and Hilmar could be on the cusp of a major breakout. Starring alongside them is Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Leila George, Ronan Raftery, and Stephen Lang. “Mortal Engines” will be released nationwide on December 14.
Here’s the new trailer: