Peter Jackson Secretly Working on a new Film Project called MORTAL ENGINES

It looks like Peter Jackson is working on a new project that he hasn’t really discussed at all. This is the first time I’ve actually heard of this project, but apparently he is secretly developing a film adaptation of a fantasy novel called Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.

The project is still very early in development but industry sources are saying that he is developing the first of four books right now. Weta Workshops have been working on designs for the sci-fi fantasy series.

There is no solid confirmation that this project is actually happening but a spokesman for Jackson didn’t deny that the project was happening, He had this to say:

Any comment should come from Peter. 

If Peter Jackson is working on this then he is the one that should let the news out. But this does lead me to believe that he is definitely playing around with Mortal Engines. If you haven’t heard of this story yet then here is a little run down, and I gotta say, it sounds awesome.

The book is set in a Post-Apocalyptic Steampunk world, ravaged in ages past by a nuclear holocaust known as the "Sixty Minute War," which caused massive geological upheaval. To escape the earthquakes, volcanoes and other instabilities, a Nomad leader called Nikolas Quirke, designed a system known as Municipal Darwinism, where entire cities essentially become immense vehicles known as Traction Cities, and must consume one another in order to maintain themselves in a world deprived of most natural resources. Although the planet has since become stable again, Traction Cities are still used despite the fact that they were intended to escape from natural disasters, and the new world order continues.

Much technological and scientific knowledge was lost, and what remains of "Old Tech", artifacts remaining from our more developed society, are dug up and pored over by scavengers and archeologists. Europe, some of Asia, North Africa, Antarctica and the Artic are inhabited by Traction Cities, and North America is a radioactive wasteland, while much of the rest of the world is the stronghold of the Anti-Traction League, an organization that seeks to stop cities from moving and thus stop the intense consumption of the planet's resources. In the world of Traction Cities, nations no longer exist - each city is an individual state.

I love this concept! And it seems like it would make for an incredible epically huge film. I would love to see Jackson play with another huge world again, this seems like it’s right up his ally.

Have you read the books? If so do you think it would make a good film? If you haven’t read the books what do you think of the concept?