Mortal Engines was released in cinemas in 2018, but the fantasy blockbuster had been longed for years before. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson secured the rights to Philip Reeve’s book in 2009. Fans were sure: A fantasy event of the caliber of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is looming. It turned out differently. Mortal Engines was not directed by Peter Jackson, but by the relatively unknown Christian Rivers. The series has not been continued to this day, although there is enough material. Why?
Today Mortal Engines is on TV:
That’s what Mortal Engines is all about
Mortal Engines – Trailer 3 (German) HD
Mortal Engines: Urban Warfare paints the picture of a dystopia where Earth’s resources are scarce and many cities have been mobilized by engines. This allows them to attack and destroy other cities in order to claim valuable resources. London and its residents, like historian Thaddeus Valentine and apprentice Tom (Robert Sheehan), try their hand at this time before others more powerful walking cities to hide. But nobody can hide forever. Together with the mysterious Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), Tom finally forms an alliance that could be decisive for the survival of mankind.
Where do the Lord of the Rings comparisons come from?
Not only did Peter Jackson produce himself, he also enlisted a considerable part of his Lord of the Rings team for the production: Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens penned the screenplay. With Hugo Weaving, the Elrond actor was there in a prominent role. Also, the film was shot in New Zealand, just like the Tolkien trilogy. Then came the comprehensive fantasy template by Philip Reeve, which designs an original parallel world with its own laws and social designs. Original sci-fi influences expanded the possibilities for large images.
Heavy Losses: Why Mortal Engines Never Continued
However, these ingredients were not nearly enough for a breakthrough comparable to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The film was able to convince some fantasy fans. With Moviepilot he only gets one cool rating of 5.8 out of 10. The blockbuster grossed just $83.7 million at the global box office. And that with a production budget estimated at up to 150 million US dollars. The losses for Studio Universal were gigantic.
So a sequel was out of the question. The rest of the fantasy material remained unfilmed (here you can find the book template on Amazon *) and will probably remain so for the time being. At least until the next Hollywood influential fan of the books takes pity on her.
*. . .