Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson to (Possibly) Direct/Produce Temeraire
According to THR, Peter Jackson is not afraid of remaining in the fantasy genre. After delivering Lord of the Rings and King Kong, Jackson may soon find himself behind the camera of Temeraire, a historical fantasy series from first-time novelist Naomi Novik.
The "Temeraire" saga reimagines the world of the Napoleonic Wars with the addition of an air force of dragons and valiant aviators. It centers on British naval Capt. Will Laurence, who captures a French ship, where he discovers an unhatched dragon egg in the hold -- a gift from the Emperor of China intended for Napoleon. When the egg hatches, he is forced to give up his naval career to become captain of the dragon he names Temeraire.
Wow, this film does sound very Eragon-ish. But without the Napoleonic Wars of course.
"Temeraire is a terrific meld of two genres that I particularly love -- fantasy and historical epic," Jackson said. "I can't wait to see Napoleonic battles fought with a squadron of dragons. That's what I go to the movies for."
Novik was a computer programmer who did design work on a video game titled Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide. She wrote the first Temeraire book in 2004. When Del Rey saw it, the publisher asked for two more books. The series was launched in the spring.
What Novik didn't know is that Jackson was slowly becoming hooked to the series with each passing page.
"As I was reading these books, I could see them coming to life in my mind's eye," Jackson said. "These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart."
Though Novik had been told of Jackson's interest, the author was still skeptical on the chance of the novel(s) being adapted to film.
"I was warned that whatever happens in Hollywood, you should assume it's 10 degrees below reality," Novik said. "So if they say Peter Jackson has it, it really means Peter Jackson's assistant's personal trainer has it. I never took it seriously until (IPG's Justin Manask) called myself and (literary agent Cynthia Manson) and said, 'Peter wants the book.' There was lot of screaming in my household when I first got the call."
If Jackson does decide to take Temeraire to the bigscreen, Novik can rest assure that the story is in good hands.
Stay tuned for updates.
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