Peter Jackson’s MORTAL ENGINES Casts Its Female Lead

28-year-old Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar (‘Life in a Fishbowl,’ ‘Anna Karenina,’ ‘Da Vinci’s Demons’) has landed the female lead in the upcoming adaptation of Philip Reeve’s ‘Mortal Engines,’

The sci-fi fantasy takes place in dystopian steampunk future where Earth’s cities roam the globe on huge wheels, battling each other in a struggle for ever diminishing resources. On one of these massive Traction Cities, Tom Natsworthy has an unexpected encounter with a mysterious young woman from the Outlands, who will change the course of his life forever.

Hilmar joins a cast that includes Irish actors Robbie Sheehan (‘Fortitude,’ ‘Love/Hate’) and Ronan Raftery (‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,’ ‘Moone Boy’).

Visual effects supervisor Christian Rivers is behind the camera, making his feature debut. Middle Earth maestro Peter Jackson and regular collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are co-writing and producing.

Production kicks off in New Zealand this spring.