Hugo Weaving has teamed up with Sir Peter Jackson for ‘Mortal Engines’.
The 57-year-old actor has previously worked alongside the filmmaker in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy and ‘The Hobbit’ franchise as the Elf-king Elrond and the pair will now join forces again on the upcoming fantasy drama, Variety reports.
However, it is not yet known which role Hugo will play in the film, which will also star Hera Hilmer, Robbie Sheehan, Ronan Rafterty and Stephen Lang.
Peter is producing the movie, as well as writing the screenplay – which is adapted from Philip Reeve’s series of novels – with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, while Christian Rivers is on board to direct.
Peter recently said: "Christian is one of my closest collaborators. 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."
‘Mortal Engines’ is the first of four planned adaptations of the novel series, which also includes ‘Predator’s Gold’, ‘Infernal Devices’, and ‘A Darkling Plain’.
The tale is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where cities including London are run on engines and the saga tells the story of protagonist Tom Natsworthy, a teenager who joins forces with a young woman from an area known as the Outlands, to discover a mystery that could change the world they live in.
Production on the film is expected to begin later in 2017.
Peter is thought to have been interested in adapting the book series around seven years ago but he became side-tracked by ‘The Hobbit’ film franchise.
The movie adaptation of the sci-fi fantasy book has been in the works since 2009, and Universal Pictures have now revealed the hotly-anticipated motion picture is scheduled for release in December 2018.
Hugo Weaving cast in Peter Jackson’s new movie
