Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, the filmmakers behind the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, will make Mortal Engines, based on the award-winning sci-fi book series by Philip Reeve.
The film will open on December 14, 2018 by Universal.
December 2018 is already a competitive month: James Cameron’s Avatar sequel is slated for release on December 21 by Fox. The first Avatar opened on the same week in December 2009.
Set in a dystopian future where Earth’s cities roam the globe on huge wheels, battling each other in a struggle for ever diminishing resources, Mortal Engines is about wo unlikely heroes, who join forces and change the course of the future.
Jackson and Walsh co-wrote the screenplay with their LOTR and Hobbit collaborator, Philippa Boyens, who serves as co-producer. Zane Weiner, Amanda Walker and Deborah Forte also produce, while Ken Kamins executive produces.
All six Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies staked out the same pre-Christmas week date.
