Peter Jackson made a recent announcement on his facebook page that his next movie project will be adapting Philip Reeve’s book, Mortal Engines. The book is set in a post-apocalyptic future where cities move about on wheels, devouring smaller cities for their resources. The book is the first in a series of four books, presenting the opportunity for ‘sequels’ down the road.
The project will bring together many of the crew who worked on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchises, including Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens who adapted the Mortal Engines script. The movie will be directed by Christian Rivers, the VFX master of The Hobbit. From Deadline Hollywood:
“Christian is one of my closest collaborators,” says Jackson in a statement. “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!”
The text of PJ’s facbook post is below
OUR NEXT MOVIE!
Hi Folks,
It’s been a quiet few months, but I’m very happy to tell you that our next project is now underway.
WingNut Films be producing a feature film based on Philip Reeve’s book Mortal Engines, to be directed by Christian Rivers. The script has been written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and myself.
Some of you may recall that Christian was going to direct the Dambusters a few years back. Since then he’s kept himself busy, making short films, and directing Second Units on The Hobbit and Pete’s Dragon.
Our involvement in Mortal Engines actually pre-dates Dambusters (which is still happening) – Christian actually worked on Mortal Engines previs way back in 2009. It’s very exciting to finally get it underway!
We’ve had the rights to Philip’s book series for several years, but have had to wait for the right time to make it.
If you haven’t read the books, you should. They present a stunning look into the future, when all of Earth’s major cities are now mounted on wheels, roaming across the landscape as massive “Traction Cities”. Our society has build itself on the principals of Municipal Darwinism – this basically involves the bigger cities hunting down, and consuming, the smaller ones. And that’s only the backdrop to an original and emotional personal story.
Philip Reeve has created a range of intriguing characters, following their adventures in our strange future world through four books – “Mortal Engines”, “Predator’s Gold”, “Infernal Devices” and “A Darkling Plain”.
The moment we read these novels, we knew what exciting movies they’d make. I literally can’t wait to see them!
The movie will be financed by MRC and Universal, and shooting will get underway next March, in New Zealand. Producers Zane Weiner and Amanda Walker, who both worked on the Hobbit, will be spearheading the NZ based team, along with Deborah Forte in the US.
No casting to announce yet, but Weta Workshop and Weta Digital are both onboard.
With the wheels now rolling on Mortal Engines, I’ll bring you a lot of news and sneak peeks at what we’re doing over the coming months.
Previewed during Comic-Con 2016 at the Weta Cave, our friends at Weta Workshop are proud to announce their newest statue for The Hobbit Trilogy line of statues. Joining the collections of many collectors world-wide is none other than The Witch-King as we saw him at Dol Guldur during The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. This fantastic statue is a super dynamic pose of The Witch-King looking to take out a member of The White Council. Collectors, you can add this to your collection for $349 and I would do so quickly as the edition size of this one comes in at only 750 pieces. The expected delivery of this one is scheduled for December of this year.
If you weren’t able to join us at our ‘Ringers Take Manhattan’ party last week, then you missed the chance to party with Graham McTavish, who joined us towards the end of the evening. We’ll be bringing you a full write up from New York ComicCon in the next day or so; in the meantime, as a consolation, here’s your chance to spend some time enjoying the company of not only McTavish, but also the fabulous Stephen Hunter.
As you know from our interview with him in September, Stephen is creating a series of video interviews called ‘Actors Talk About Themselves’. Having already spoken with fellow dwarves Nori and Oin (aka cast members Jed Brophy and John Callen), Dwalin is the latest interviewee. The two gents are good friends and the interview is as funny and irreverent as you might expect. Enjoy! We’re looking forward to seeing Stephen’s next interview.
Staffers from TORn have started arriving in the Big Apple to set up our booth – that means New York ComicConis almost upon us! The fun kicks off at 10am tomorrow morning; here are some of the highlights for Tolkien fans:
First of all, TORn’s booth this year is number 3164. This is NOT our usual corner spot – we could only get an ‘inline’ booth this year. But look for the usual ‘tent’ and you’ll find us! As ever, we’ll have t-shirts and buttons for sale, and we have some fabulous items for our ‘lucky dip’ giveaways! It’s an election year even in Middle-earth; here are the t-shirts we’ll have on sale this year: Continue reading “New York ComicCon starts TOMORROW! Don’t forget your party tickets!”
Once again our friends at the Brisbane Tolkien Fellowship are hosting their annual “Evening in Middle-earth”. This year their Guest of Honour is none other than dwarvish prankster, Nori, the wonderful Jed Brophy! So if you’re from Brisbane or planning on visiting Queensland this month, why not head along to An Evening in Middle-earth on October 15.
Coming to New York ComicCon and looking for something to do in the evenings? Well, after you have been to TORn’s party on Thursday night, why not go and see Thorin himself on stage?
Richard Armitage is starring in Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Love, Love, Love. Written by Mike Bartlett and directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, this new play is part of Roundabout’s 50th anniversary season. Their press release tells us:
‘It’s the late 1960s in a north London flat, and Henry is excitedly anticipating the arrival of his date, Sandra. The night changes course when Sandra and Henry’s brother Kenneth quickly realize how much they have in common—their love of Rock and Roll and their love of marijuana, for starters. A fiery relationship is sparked in the haze of the 60s, and charred by today’s brutal realities. Fast forward twenty-three years, and the economy and politics of an ever-changing world are wearing on the marriage of this baby boomer couple. Can they remain faithful to each other while trying to provide a loving and supportive home for their children—children who are growing up in a time when the next generation is not always provided for? Spanning more than four decades, this dark comedy is the story of what happens when the free-loving teens of the 60s face the harsh realities of today’s world. From passion to paranoia, Love, Love, Love takes on the baby boomer generation as it retires, and finds it full of trouble.’
Love, Love, Love is currently in previews, and the limited run goes until December 18th. It’s on at the Laura Pels Theatre, at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre in Manhattan. You can purchase tickets here.
Peter Jackson made a recent announcement on his facebook page that his next movie project will be adapting Philip Reeve’s book, Mortal Engines. The book is set in a post-apocalyptic future where cities move about on wheels, devouring smaller cities for their resources. The book is the first in a series of four books, presenting the opportunity for ‘sequels’ down the road.
Once again our friends at the Brisbane Tolkien Fellowship are hosting their annual “Evening in Middle-earth”. This year their Guest of Honour is none other than dwarvish prankster, Nori, the wonderful Jed Brophy! So if you’re from Brisbane or planning on visiting Queensland this month, why not head along to An Evening in Middle-earth on October 15.