Mortal Engines is rolling into town

You may have heard that Philip Reeve's first book, Mortal Engines is being turned into a movie by New Zealand's favourite little Hobbit, Peter Jackson.

Directed by Jackson's long time protege and Oscar winner in his own right, Christian Rivers, Mortal Engines is the tale of two teenagers falling in love across a back drop of giant motorised cities that roam a scorched Earth, eating each other for precious resources.

That's right, giant, mechanized cities.

This one is called London:

What's fascinating about the Mortal Engines story is the concept of these cities attacking each other. There's a kind of natural order to it. Author Reeve calls it Municipal Darwinism.

In general, the larger 'predator cities' look to consume smaller cities for their resources.

Physical resources are used for fuel or re-utilised within the city.

Humans living in the captured cities can be enslaved or used as a source of protein and eaten.

That's right, eaten.

It all sounds just so civilised. 

Mortal Engines is scripted by PJ and his usual collaborators, Fran Walsh and Philipa Boyens which bodes well.

The film is released Mid December.