Peter Jackson and the team behind “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” have found their next project in the form of another popular book series. This time around they're turning their attention towards an adaptation of “Mortal Engines," the Philip Reeve novel that’s been in development for quite a while.

While Peter Jackson's team may be behind the film, he won’t be behind the camera when it comes time to start production. Christian Rivers will be directing with Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens on to co-write the film. This will be Rivers’ first major directing gig after spending much of his career working with Peter Jackson. He started out as a storyboard artist before rising in rank to serve as a second unit director on the “Pete’s Dragon” remake. He’s also won a visual effects Academy Award for his work on the 2005 “King Kong.”

Speaking on Rivers, Peter Jackson heaped a ton of praise on the new director, saying that Christian was one of his closest collaborators and that he is perfect for this film. “The combination of emotion and jaw-dropping visuals in ‘Mortal Engines’ makes this the perfect movie for his move into feature directing. What Christian intends to do with Philip Reeve’s terrific story is going to result in an original and spectacular movie. I wish I could see it tomorrow!”

The film will be based on Philip Reeve’s novel, which is about a world set many thousands of years in the future. The cities of Earth are now mobile and roam the planet on huge wheels, fighting and devouring each other over the constantly depleting resources on the planet. On one of these cities, Tom Natsworthy meets a mysterious woman that changes his life forever.

If all goes to plan, the sci-fi/fantasy film will be the first in a series of films based on Reeve’s novels, of which there are four: “Mortal Engines,” “Predator’s Gold,” “Infernal Devices” and “A Darkling Plain." The first book has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Smarties Gold Award, and the Blue Peter Book of the Year.

(via Variety)