Hammer Films bought motion picture rights to Cherie Priest‘s zombie-steampunk novel Boneshaker (published by Tor in 2009) via agent Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Hammer has already teamed with Cross Creek Pictures and Exclusive Media Group to produce the film, for which John Hilary Shepherd (Nurse Jackie) is writing the screenplay.
The book is set in an alternate 1880s Seattle, in which the city is walled in and a toxic gas has turned many of its residents into Rotters (zombies). A young widow hunts for her teenaged son in the Seattle underworld while dealing with airship pirates, a criminal overlord and heavily armed refugees.
Exclusive Media Group’s Simon Oakes said “Boneshaker is a classic zombie movie with a modern twist which is quintessentially Hammer so it’s a perfect fit for us. 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.”
Talking about the deal, Cross Creek’s Brian Oliver said “It’s like Jules Verne meets Resident Evil, and we’re thrilled to have such a fun, commercial potential franchise in Boneshaker.”
Boneshaker is the first in the Clockwork Century series, and is followed by Clementine, Dreadnought, and the recently released Ganymede. (Two more books are due in this series: Inexplicables in 2012 and Fiddlehead.)