When You Can Watch Peter Jackson's 'Mortal Engines,' 'Avatar 2' and Tw…

Recently we heard that Peter Jackson (above) will produce Mortal Engines, the first in what’s hoped to be a new movie franchise. It’s based on five books written by Philip Reeve set in a far distant, post-apocalyptic world where a few young people battle an ambitious man’s dastardly plans.

Now comes word via Deadline that Universal has already set December 14, 2018 as the release date for the movie. At the moment, Mortal Engines faces no competition from other big studio projects on that date, which likely reflects their confidence in Jackson, his fellow producer and writer Fran Walsh and the very popular source material. Jackson, Walsh and Philippa Boyens (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) have already completed the screenplay. Christian Rivers will direct; he’s a visual effects expert who has worked with the filmmakers for years.

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One week after Mortal Engines, 20th Century Fox has scheduled an untitled project from Lightstorm Entertainment for theatrical release, per The Hollywood Reporter. If that production company sounds familiar, it’s probably because James Cameron cofounded it in 1990. Speculation is running high that the date has been reserved for Avatar 2, Cameron’s long-awaited sequel. If so, that would confirm what Cameron said back in April. Bear in mind, however, that Cameron has talked release dates before that have been shifted, so it’s probably best to wait for official word (and title) from Fox.

Fox also adjusted dates for a couple of untitled movies based on Marvel comic books. One is set for release on November 2, 2018 and the other is scheduled for February 14, 2019. Fox also removed an untitled Marvel movie that was dated for October 6, 2017, originally envisioned for Channing Tatum’s Gambit. Meanwhile, Matthew Vaughn’s sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle has been pushed back from June 16 to October 6, 2017.

For those of us who are eager to see ferocious sci-fi action from director Ridley Scott as soon as possible, there’s great news: Alien: Covenant is coming sooner than we thought. Originally set for release on August 19, the movie will now smash into theaters on May 19. A new poster makes us even more eager to see the next installment in the long-running series.

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