Steampunk zombie novel 'Boneshaker' shuffling to the big screen

Hammer Films will produce adaptation of Cherie Priest book

By Dave Lewis Wednesday, Nov 30, 2011 2:22 PM

'Boneshaker'

Credit: Tor Books

Hammer Films is bringing Cherie Priest's zombie novel "Boneshaker" to life for the big screen.

John Hilary Shepherd ("Nurse Jackie") is writing the screenplay. Project will be co-produced by Hammer and Cross Creek Pictures and co-financed by Exclusive and Cross Creek Pictures.

Nominated for a 2012 Hugo Award, the steampunk SF story takes place in an alternate version of 1880s Seattle, where much of the city's populous has been turned into "Rotters" (AKA zombies) after exposure to toxic gas. A young widow searches for her teenage son against the apocalyptic backdrop where airship pirates, criminal overlords and armed refugees roam the desolate Emerald City.

"Boneshaker" is, naturally, the first book in a proposed series called "The Clockwork Century." The second novel, "Dreadnought" was published in 2010, with "Ganymede" following this past September. Tor Books will release "Inexplicables," and Priest is currently working on the fifth novel, "Fiddlehead."

"First and foremost this is a great story. Bringing a steampunk style novel to life on the big screen is going to be very cool, very unique," said Hammer's Tobin Armbrust in a release.

"'Boneshaker' is a classic zombie movie with a modern twist which is quintessentially Hammer so it’s a perfect fit for us," added Simon Oakes of Hammer. "Cherie Priest’s steampunk series are fantastic with a distinct, unique style and we’re really looking forward to bringing her ‘Rotters’ to the big screen."

"It’s like Jules Verne meets ‘Resident Evil,’ and we’re thrilled to have such a fun, commercial potential franchise in Boneshaker,” says Cross Creek's Brian Oliver. "John’s an exciting screenwriter and we see this being a real crowd pleaser."

"Boneshaker" is the most recent in a string of projects for which Cross Creek Pictures and Exclusive have collaborated, including George Clooney’s “The Ides of March" and the upcoming “The Woman in Black” starring Daniel Radcliffe the "Harry Potter" films).

Dave Lewis
Producer

Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.