Producer Peter Jackson and director Christian Rivers are really gearing up Mortal Engines. Last week, they cast Robert Sheehan And Ronan Raftery and today Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar has been added to the ensemble.
Philip Reeve's series of children's novels takes place in a steampunk post-apocalyptic future where cities are mobile and perambulate the planet devouring each other for fuel: a system amusingly called Municipal Darwinism. The St Paul's Cathedral-topped London is the strongest of these Traction Cities, in a world where "old tech" is extremely sought after. On one of these massive mobile structures, Tom Natsworthy has an unexpected encounter with a mysterious young woman from the Outlands, who will change the course of his life forever. Character details have yet to be announced, but it's possibly Sheehan could be Tom, with Hilmar as the woman he encounters.
Long in development by Jackson – who wrote the script alongside regular collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens – this one is finally gaining traction and is set to begin shooting in New Zealand this spring, with a 14 December 2018 release date in its sights.
Hilmar has been seen in films such as The Fifth Estate and Anna Karenina and had a role on Da Vinci's Demons. She'll next show up in The Ottoman Lieutenant and An Ordinary Man.