'Boneshaker' Movie Could Start Successful Steampunk Franchise

COMMENTARY | Coming Soon is reporting that Hammer Films and Cross Creek Pictures has picked up the movie rights to "Boneshaker," the steampunk novel by Cherie Priest set in an alternate 19th century that features air ship pirates and zombies.

Think of it as a collaboration between George Romero and Jules Verne.

According to the synopsis on Amazon, "Boneshaker" is set in the 1880s, after a mad investor's test of a huge drilling machine, called the Boneshaker, went horribly wrong and released a toxic gas that rendered all of the inhabitants of Seattle into zombies, called "rotters" in the book. The story concerns the efforts of the son of the mad investor to go into rotter-occupied Seattle to clear his father's name. His mother, an air ship pilot, goes after him to try to rescue her son. Complications follow.

Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction set in the 19th Century that features future technology as the Victorians envisioned it. Some of the works of Verne or H.G. Wells qualifies, as well as modern works such as "The Difference Engine."

One has to say that the production of a steampunk novel as a feature motion picture is an original idea. Not much along those lines have been attempted, though the recent "Three Musketeers" film had air ships. That the book is part of a series, hence having franchise possibilities, likely doesn't hurt things. That the story has zombies, with the popularity of zombie shows like "The Walking Dead," is a great plus and likely featured prominently in the pitch.

Having great source material is only the first step in the development of a movie that people want to see. A great script, a skilled director, and competent actors are also required. That is the difference between a "Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter" on the one hand and "Prince of Persia" or "The Golden Compass" on the other. Everything depends on the execution.

Come to think of it, a previous attempt at steampunk film, "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," was so bad that it ended the film career of Sean Connery. The film version of "The Wild, Wild West," while it had its moments, including a huge steam powered mechanical spider created by Dr. Loveless, was a miss as well. Hopefully "Boneshaker" the movie will work better.

Sources: Cross Creek and Hammer Films to Make Boneshaker, Coming Soon, Nov 30, 2011

Boneshaker, Cherie Priest, Tor Books, 2009