Sixteen years ago, Peter Jackson and his perfect cast of actors teamed together to make The Lord of The Rings into a fantastic vision of literary fantasy that fed the eyes as it did the mind. Noted character actor Hugo Weaving was one of those cast members who made the films so memorable, with his portrayal of the Elven leader Elrond standing out in its limited screen time. Well the Weaving / Jackson magic is coming back, as the Jackson produced adaptation of the YA novel series, Mortal Engines, has just hired Weaving to join its cast.
Hugo Weaving has definitely been signed on for a role in the big screen version of Phillip Reeves' printed franchise, though no specific role has been mentioned in the process, per Variety. Weaving joins producers Philippa Boyes and Fran Walsh as returning Lord of the Rings collaborators, as well as a handful of actors that have already been cast in the film, which includes Don't Breathe's Stephen Lang. The series focuses on an Earth a millennium into the future, where floating cities are the primary residence of the human race.
This project marks the first time that Peter Jackson and Hugo Weaving have teamed up since The Hobbit trilogy, which ran from between 2012 and 2014. While that's not a long time for the collaborators to have been apart, it does say something about the intentions for Mortal Engines. Outside of the canon of J.R.R. Tolkien, Jackson has had a hard time making his next gigantic hit, what with King Kong and The Lovely Bones not having the impact that was anticipated. So obviously, Peter Jackson's re-teaming up with Hugo Weaving is meant not only to instill confidence in those who are investing in the project, but also to put Jackson closer to the path of success.
Meanwhile, Hugo Weaving's last performance onscreen was in the Academy Award nominated film, Hacksaw Ridge, which saw Weaving playing opposite Andrew Garfield as Tom Doss, father to Garfield's Desmond. In addition to his duties on Mortal Engines, Weaving has two films that are due to be out in the next year or so: Jasper Jones and Black 47. So by the time we see him in action under the pen and producing skills of Peter Jackson, he should be warmed up and ready to bring more of the magic that made their previous collaborations so special.
Mortal Engines is planning to rev its engines in theaters on December 14, 2018. Keep it tune to us here at CinemaBlend, as we'll provide updates on this project as soon as we have any new information.
