Peter Jackson updates Naomi Novik’s Temeraire adaptation

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It was reported awhile ago that Peter Jackson was attached to Temeraire (which was published asHis Majesty’s Dragon in the U.S.), and he’s recently given AICN some more details about the project. Jackson , of course, was the director of The Lord of the Rings films, King Kong, the recently released The Lovely Bones, and is the producer of upcoming del Toro helmed Hobbit films.

Novik’s series is a mish-mash of fantasy and historical fiction (which just makes it fantasy I guess) and I reviewed the first novel when it came out in 2005. It’s placed in the Napoleonic era in a world that’s much like our except that element of dragons (in many varieties) exist in the world, some of which (like the titular character) are used by the Military. The first book is quite charming, and while I think the subsequent novels don’t really move much beyond standard formulas, they are certainly decent reads, and that very element of that formula is what allows for what could be a very interesting adaptation. In the AICN report Jackson mentions HBO (in a total different regard–he noted it concerning budget), and while the books themselves really are books you could give to children to read (I think they are optimal – as far as I’ve read – in this regard) – a hardcore, more adult orientated adaptation wouldn’t offend me, because Novik’s frame – and not the nuance – is what of interest (in terms of adaptations) here in my opinion. It’s a source material that could easily be adapted in both extremes and work. Here’s a part of the interview:

Yeah. So my thinking is… and I’m talking to you here having absolutely no plans in place, no deal in place… and I wouldn’t. What I would do is I’d start developing the treatment, I’d start to break the storylines down to see if we can structure it in that way. I’ve already started to do designs. I’ve had Weta Workshop do a lot of work on designing the characters… the dragons… I’ve been working with Gus Hunter on the designs. We’re well underway creating the visual look.

In 2010 one of the things I’ll be doing is looking at starting the scripting process and structuring and using it to see if we can’t set the project up in that way because I think that’d be the best to serve the story.

You can read the rest of Quint’s interview at AICN. Just because it’s the holiday season I want to note that I’ve bought several sets of these books for younger readers who have absolutely loved them. Maybe a nice pick-up this time of year!