Peter Jackson’s sci-fi/fantasy movie “Mortal Engines” adds cast

PanARMENIAN.Net - “Fortitude” actor Robbie Sheehan and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’s” Ronan Raftery have been cast in Universal and MRC’s adaptation of Philip Reeve’s “Mortal Engines”, which will be written and produced by Peter Jackson, Variety reports.

Sheehan will have a lead role, while Raftery plays a supporting one. Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens will co-write the film with Christian Rivers directing. MRC and Universal are co-financing the movie, with Universal also serving as worldwide distributor.

Jackson and Walsh have been involved with the project for several years, having optioned the rights from Scholastic in 2001. Ken Kamins — Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens’ longtime manager — brought the project to MRC.

Zane Weiner (“The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies), Amanda Walker (“The Hobbit”), and Deborah Forte (“The Golden Compass”) are serving as producers, along with Walsh and Jackson. Kamins (“The Hobbit” trilogy, “District 9”) will executive produce, while Boyens co-produces.

The book is set thousands of years in the future. Earth’s cities now roam the globe on huge wheels, devouring each other in a struggle over diminishing resources. On one of these massive Traction Cities, Tom Natsworthy has an unexpected encounter with a mysterious young woman from the Outlands, who will change the course of his life forever.

Production is slated to begin in New Zealand this spring, and the film is set to bow on Dec. 14, 2018.

The sci-fi/fantasy movie is the first in a planned series of films based on Reeve’s novels. The series is comprised of four books: “Mortal Engines,” “Predator’s Gold,” “Infernal Devices,” and “A Darkling Plain.”

The “Mortal Engines” novels have won several awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the Smarties Gold Award, and Blue Peter Book of the Year.

In addition to “Fortitude,” Sheehan can be seen next in Warner Bros.’ “Geostorm.” He is represented by Gersh.

Raftery recently appeared in the “Harry Potter” spinoff “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and the Netflix war drama “The Siege of Jadotville.” He can be seen next in the AMC anthology show “The Terror.”