YA Adaptation Mortal Engines Casts a Horde of Australians and Kiwis

By Travis Johnson

Australian actors Sophie Cox, Menik Gooneratne, Andrew Lees and Terry Norris have signed on for the big screen adaptation of British author Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines, the first in a delightfully bonkers-sounding dystopian YA series.

They’ll be joined by Kiwi cast members Mark Hadlow, Nathaniel Lees, Caren Pistorius, Joel Tobeck, Stephen Ure, Maria Walker, Khan West, Peter Rowley and Megan Edwards, along with the previously announced Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Leila George, Stephen Lang and Jihae.

Hobbit-wranglers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh are producing, and have co-written the screenplay with fellow Middle Earth veteran, Philippa Boyens. Joining them is storyboard artist and FX boffin Christian Rivers, who has worked with Jackson for years – in fact, he’s storyboarded all his films since Brain Dead.

Set after an apocalyptic “60 Minute War”, Mortal Engines concerns the city of London, which has been fitted with great engines and wheels, enabling it to move around and prey on other cities for spare parts and resources. That kind of retrofitting seems like it’d take a lot longer than 60 minutes, but what do we know? More as it emerges.