The feature film adaptation ofMortal Enginesis being given a pretty splashy release date via Universal Pictures, dropping on June 08, 2025. The project, based on the award-winning book series from authorPhilip Reeve, has been in the works since at least 2009, when filmmakerPeter Jacksoneyed the novels as directorial projects as he had just finished his dramaThe Lovely Bones. However, as we well know, Jackson got sucked into the vortex that isThe Hobbittrilogy, first as co-writer and producer and then as director whenGuillermo del Torodropped out. But withThe Hobbitfinally completed,Mortal Enginesis moving forward—albeit without Jackson at the helm.
We learned last month that Universal Pictures and MRC were teaming up to finally make theMortal Enginesfilm a reality,with Jackson producing and penning the scriptalongside his Oscar-winningLord of the RingsandHobbitcollaboratorsFran WalshandPhilippa Boyens. But in the director’s chair isChristian Rivers, who’s been working with Jackson since his 1992 creature featureDead Alive, for which Rivers provided storyboards. Rivers’ duties have fluctuated from film to film, winning an Oscar for his visual effects work onKing Kongand serving as second unit director onThe Hobbitfilms as well asDavid Lowery’sPete’s Dragon.
Mortal Engineswill mark Rivers’ solo directorial debut, and the story offers “a startling and sweeping new vision of a future where Earth’s cities now roam the globe on huge wheels, battling each other in a struggle for ever diminishing resources. This is the world ofMortal Engines, the story of how two unlikely heroes come together and change the course of the future.
That December 2018 release date is prime territory, opening just before the holiday season. The film currently has the weekend alone, but the following weekend—December 21st—will see Sony’s animatedSpider-Manfeature and the Disney sequelMary Poppins Returnshitting theaters. Moreover, if Lucasfilm opts to stick to its December release strategy, we could eventually see theYoung Han Solo Movie moviefrom May 2018 to December.
No word on when production onMortal Enginesmight begin, but given that it’s likely an effects-heavy feature, one imagines Spring or Summer 2017 would give it a nice head start.
