Is there going to be a Predator's Gold sequel to Mortal Engines?
While Peter Jackson and company are keen on doing Mortal Engines sequels and the movie has had a fair bit of praise, there has been no formal announcement of sequel plans.
Star Wars on the other hand...
Making a Hollywood movie blockbuster is no mean feat. Just ask the quotable Sith Lord Darth Vader.
If it were easy to do so, every good story about space aliens driving trains would be turned into a film. So, to convince a studio executive to plump up some cash for an untested 'Intellectual Property' is a mission and a half.
It's why sequels are so popular, they are cash cows with less risk than something untested. Look at Marvel's Ironman, it's had like 169 sequels already...
So, when it comes to the Philip Reeve novel, Mortal Engines, no studio exec is going to take a punt on a book about giant cities driving around eating each other.
Unless Peter Jackson is attached to write and produce it.
So, that's the angle the studios are taking. Jackson and his NAME have been tasked to get Mortal Engines across the line.
Given the novel has three sequels and three prequels, there's a mapped out path that a movie sequel can take (Predator's Gold etc) but will ME get one?
Film producer Peter Jackson said:
“As for whether we go ahead or not with the others, it’s not in our hands,” said Jackson. All we can do is to make the very best film for Mortal Engines that we can. And I’m certainly confident that we’ve done that. I don’t know how we could made anything better than to be made to be honest, you know, based on that book. So we’ve done our job and now it’s really a case of making the film and seeing the audiences show up.”
SO GO SEE IT AGAIN ;)
Oscar-winning scriptwriter and longtime Jackson associate, Philippa Boyens had this to say when asked about the possibility of a second film:
"I certainly never sat down and I know Pete did sat down and thought of this in terms of a sequel–you know, sequels. I mean, we’re just, like, get this thing working first. And then think about what may happen."
"But, mostly, this has to work as a film. This may be the only one. Who knows? I hope not because I think it’s a–I think the story just keeps getting better and better. And I want to see the other traction engines now that I’ve seen in this one.
I want to see Panzerstadt. I want to see Arkangel. I want to see these ones that are bigger and meaner."
Boyen's 'has to work' as a film comment is telling and I think it almost has a double meaning. Obviously, ME needs to be a good film, one that viewers enjoy watching. But it also has to work for it's success. It needs to perform at the box office.
Big time.
I don't think ME will get a second sequel if it just does OK. It will need to perform all around the world, especially and obviously in the United States. Shame it has bombed and not covered costs.
So will Mortal Engines be a success and earn a sequel? This author is personally worried.
While we gave it a fairly enthusiastic review, some critics have savaged the film. Honestly, it makes me cry into my pH tested kombucha.
If you've seen the film and read the book, you'll know that a key plot point of the final book will have to be resolved in a clever way, but let's not get ahead of ourselves and hope we get to see the Predator's Gold novel developed for the big screen.
Mortal Engines is such a sprawling saga, there is no reason why it cannot be turned into a television series that is featured on a medium such as Netflix. There's plenty of ways to scale back the CGI and make it more of a story about the people rather than a CGI gorefest.
Having the Mortal Engines show on Netflix would allow for the story to develop at a longer pace, offer more room for character development and allow for many side stories as well.
You could even start with a prequel show about Anna Fang, yes, that would be excellent - you could base the character arc on the story points in the novels and the Night Flights
short story collection.
If we are lucky, Thunder City will be adapted into a stand-alone film.
-
The glorious concept art above is by the talented Nik Henderson.
Making a Hollywood movie blockbuster is no mean feat. Just ask the quotable Sith Lord Darth Vader.
If it were easy to do so, every good story about space aliens driving trains would be turned into a film. So, to convince a studio executive to plump up some cash for an untested 'Intellectual Property' is a mission and a half.
It's why sequels are so popular, they are cash cows with less risk than something untested. Look at Marvel's Ironman, it's had like 169 sequels already...
So, when it comes to the Philip Reeve novel, Mortal Engines, no studio exec is going to take a punt on a book about giant cities driving around eating each other.
Unless Peter Jackson is attached to write and produce it.
So, that's the angle the studios are taking. Jackson and his NAME have been tasked to get Mortal Engines across the line.
Given the novel has three sequels and three prequels, there's a mapped out path that a movie sequel can take (Predator's Gold etc) but will ME get one?
Film producer Peter Jackson said:
“As for whether we go ahead or not with the others, it’s not in our hands,” said Jackson. All we can do is to make the very best film for Mortal Engines that we can. And I’m certainly confident that we’ve done that. I don’t know how we could made anything better than to be made to be honest, you know, based on that book. So we’ve done our job and now it’s really a case of making the film and seeing the audiences show up.”
SO GO SEE IT AGAIN ;)
Oscar-winning scriptwriter and longtime Jackson associate, Philippa Boyens had this to say when asked about the possibility of a second film:
"I certainly never sat down and I know Pete did sat down and thought of this in terms of a sequel–you know, sequels. I mean, we’re just, like, get this thing working first. And then think about what may happen."
"But, mostly, this has to work as a film. This may be the only one. Who knows? I hope not because I think it’s a–I think the story just keeps getting better and better. And I want to see the other traction engines now that I’ve seen in this one.
I want to see Panzerstadt. I want to see Arkangel. I want to see these ones that are bigger and meaner."
Boyen's 'has to work' as a film comment is telling and I think it almost has a double meaning. Obviously, ME needs to be a good film, one that viewers enjoy watching. But it also has to work for it's success. It needs to perform at the box office.
Big time.
I don't think ME will get a second sequel if it just does OK. It will need to perform all around the world, especially and obviously in the United States. Shame it has bombed and not covered costs.
So will Mortal Engines be a success and earn a sequel? This author is personally worried.
While we gave it a fairly enthusiastic review, some critics have savaged the film. Honestly, it makes me cry into my pH tested kombucha.
If you've seen the film and read the book, you'll know that a key plot point of the final book will have to be resolved in a clever way, but let's not get ahead of ourselves and hope we get to see the Predator's Gold novel developed for the big screen.
The Netflix Option for Mortal Engines
Mortal Engines is such a sprawling saga, there is no reason why it cannot be turned into a television series that is featured on a medium such as Netflix. There's plenty of ways to scale back the CGI and make it more of a story about the people rather than a CGI gorefest.
Having the Mortal Engines show on Netflix would allow for the story to develop at a longer pace, offer more room for character development and allow for many side stories as well.
You could even start with a prequel show about Anna Fang, yes, that would be excellent - you could base the character arc on the story points in the novels and the Night Flights
short story collection.If we are lucky, Thunder City will be adapted into a stand-alone film.
-
The glorious concept art above is by the talented Nik Henderson.
