Universal has released a unique first trailer for “Mortal Engines,” depicting a world of predator cities existing thousands of years after current civilization has been destroyed by a cataclysmic event. “We have to stop London before it destroys us” is one of the lines in the FX-heavy footage, released Tuesday. Peter Jackson is on board as a producer and screenwriter, re-teaming with “Hobbit” screenwriters with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens in “Mortal Engines,” set in a steampunk world where entire cities have been mounted on wheels and prey on one another. It’s Jackson’s first feature project since the completion of the Hobbit trilogy in 2014. Robert Sheehan stars as museum apprentice Tom Natsworthy from the city of London who finds himself fighting for his own survival after he encounters the dangerous fugitive assassin Hester Shaw, played by Hera Hilmar, who’s out to avenge the death of her mother. They forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future. Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide, and Stephen Lang also star. “Mortal Engines,” directed by Christian Rivers, was shot entirely in New Zealand. The Universal and MRC movie is adapted from the book series by Philip Reeve, published in 2001. Besides Jackson and Walsh, the other producers are Zane Weiner, Amanda Walker, and Deborah Forte. Ken Kamins joins Boyens as an executive producer. Universal will distribute the film worldwide. The film opens Dec. 14. Watch the trailer above.<doc-sep>I think that is where we have an advantage where Philip Reeve didn't, because when he wrote the first book I don't think he knew he was going to write the other books. I think he wrote that one book as a story, and then through the fact that people liked it and obviously he thought he had more story to tell, he carried on. We have benefited, obviously, knowing now what's in the other books in the future. So there are little subtle things we're doing that will help us flow into the other. They're not anything that changes anything much, but it's just stuff that because we know what is going to happen in the future with these books in the story we're able to plant little things here and there that will be helpful to us should we be so lucky to make more films.<doc-sep>A brand new Mortal Engines trailer has arrived. Peter Jackson brought one of the most epic and beloved trilogies of all time to the big screen with The Lord of the Rings. While The Hobbit was much less beloved as a trilogy, the man knows how to handle fantasy movies on a massive scale arguably better than anyone else on the planet. Mortal Engines looks to be right up his alley, but this also looks to be quite different than anything else he's ever put his name on in the past. The prior Mortal Engines trailer was very much a teaser, giving us a brief look at one of the big action set pieces. This gives us a much better idea of the true scope that this movie is handling and what it's going to be about, at least in broad terms. The word epic is thrown around a lot, but this truly looks to be epic. Even though Peter Jackson is only involved as an executive producer, his DNA seems to be all over this thing. Christian Rivers, who worked with Jackson as a visual effects artist on King Kong, is directing. Mortal Engines picks up thousands of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, humankind has adapted and a new way of living has evolved. Gigantic moving cities now roam the Earth, ruthlessly preying upon smaller traction towns. Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), who hails from a Lower Tier of the great traction city of London, finds himself fighting for his own survival after he encounters the dangerous fugitive Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). Two opposites, whose paths should never have crossed, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future. The movie is based on the series of books by the same name from author Philip Reeve. There are four books in the saga, which is no doubt why Universal, in part, was interested in the property. Franchises are king these days in Hollywood and if this first movie goes over well, they may have a new franchise on their hands. The cast includes Hugo Weaving, Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide and Stephen Lang. Any time we get to see Weaving as a villain, it tends to be good, even if the movie he's in isn't great. Mortal Engines arrives in theaters on December 14. It's one of the movies that is trying to fill the gap since there is no Star Wars movie coming out in December this year, but it's a crowded space. That same day sees the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and a week later, both Bumblebee and Aquaman are slated to arrive. That doesn't leave a tone of wiggle room for any of these movies, unless someone decides to back off. Be sure to check out the new full-length Mortal Engines trailer, courtesy of the Universal Pictures YouTube channel, for yourself below.<doc-sep>
Mortal Engines (2018 Movie) Close this dialog window Streaming Options The team behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have unveiled their new sci-fi playground. With the arrival of the new Mortal Engines trailer comes a look at a story Peter Jackson has been trying to make for years. Based on the book series by Philip Reeves, the film tells of a world thousands of years in the future when cities have transformed into mobile Predator Cities that roam around on wheels and ingest smaller cities for parts. Against this backdrop, the masked Hester Shaw (played by Hera Hilmar) shows up in the London Predator City on a mission to assassinate a man named Valentine (LOTR veteran Hugo Weaving) as vengeance for murdering her mother. But when a young, lower-class worker named Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) intervenes, both are propelled down a path towards changing the course of their world and stopping a massive nuclear weapon from decimating cities. Jackson has been developing this book series into a film since 2008. He wrote the screenplay with his Tolkien franchise buddies, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, while Christian Rivers, Jackson’s longtime storyboard artist, makes his feature film directorial debut on Mortal Engines. Also spotted in the footage are Korean actress Jihae as Anna Fang, Leila George as Valentine’s daughter Katherine, Ronan Raftery as Katherine’s engineer love interest Bevis Pod, and some pretty stunning sci-fi locations, like the floating Airhaven city. Avatar star Stephen Lang as “Resurrected Man” Shrike is still M.I.A. from the preview. Mortal Engines opens in theaters this Dec. 14. Watch the new trailer above.