Peter Jackson's Mortal Engines Adds Three Cast Members

Peter Jackson and Christian Rivers are filling out the cast for their upcoming young adult novel adaptation Mortal Engines. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar's Stephen Lang, South Korean singer Jihae, and Lifetime star Leila George have joined the movie, which is based on the four-part novel series from Philip Reeve.

The books are set in a dystopian future in which some cities, including London, are run by engines that move around the earth, preying on smaller towns for resources. The story follows Tom Natsworthy (Misfits' Robert Sheehan), who, along with a young woman from a territory known as the Outlands, investigates a mystery that could change the world order.

Legendary Lord of the Rings director Jackson will take on producing duties for the project, while Rivers, who worked with Jackson on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, among other films, will direct. Jackson, his wife Fran Walsh, and their frequent collaborator Philippa Boyens wrote the script.

Lang, who played the villain in Avatar and is also known for The Men Who Stare At Goats and Don't Breathe, will play an undisclosed character. Jihae, a South Korean singer who has also appeared in the National Geographic miniseries Mars, will play Ann Fang, a member of the violent league that fights against the mobile cities.

George, who most notably appeared in James Franco's bizarre lifetime movie Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?, will play Katharine Valentine, the daughter of one of London's most powerful men who is currently trying to get his hands on a weapon of mass destruction.

The movie is currently set for a Dec. 14, 2018 release. Ronan Raftery and Hera Hilmar also star. For now, see the actors who refused roles in Jackson's Lord of the Rings series.