Despite planning to make his next film the smaller-scale adaptation of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, it looks like Peter Jackson just can’t keep big fantasy novels from his mind.
He’s bought the rights to former video game designer Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, which imagines a Napoleonic War fought with an air force of dragons and the brave pilots who ride them. The first book, His Majesty's Dragon, focuses on British naval Captain Will Laurence, who captures a French ship. He discovers an unhatched dragon’s egg in the hold and joins forces with the dragon that emerges – the titular Temeraire – to fight the good fight.
"Temeraire is a terrific meld of two genres that I particularly love - fantasy and historical epic," Jackson told The Hollywood Reporter. "I can't wait to see Napoleonic battles fought with a squadron of dragons. That's what I go to the movies for. As I was reading these books, I could see them coming to life in my mind's eye. These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart."
And Novik’s reaction is just as enthusiastic. "I was warned that whatever happens in Hollywood, you should assume it's 10 degrees below reality. 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 they called my literary agent and said, 'Peter wants the book.' There was lot of screaming in my household when I first got the call."
Having purchased the complete rights to the series, Jackson will have the choice to make three or more films – Novik has written a troika so far and has outlines for the next two all ready to go.