Peter Jackson’s Mortal Engines will be released on December 7 across theatres in India, a week before the post-apocalyptic adventure drama hits the screens in the United States of America. To be released in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, Mortal Engines has been directed by Christian Rivers and stars Hugo Weaving, Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Jihae and Ronan Raftery. Based on Philip Reeve’s book of the same name, the screenplay has been written by Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, known for their work in The Lord of Rings film franchise.
Mortal Engines is set “hundreds of years in the future after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event”, according to the official synopsis. “A mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), an outcast from London, along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.”
Jackson loved the concept of cities on wheels devouring each other, the press release added. “Society has rebuilt a semblance of what it used to be, except the cities are now actually moving,” he said in the press release. “You are always looking for stories with humanity. Mortal Engines has that.”