Thanks to Sir Peter Jackson, we've now got our first look at what Mortal Engines the movie might look like.

Mortal Engines author Philip Reeve thinks Wellington's film industry is "fantastic".

The author said so on air in an interview with BBC broadcaster David FitzGerald.

Mortal Engines, the start of the four book series, is being made into a movie by producer Peter Jackson and first time director Christian Rivers.

Philip Reeve, author of Mortal Engines, said there were lots of New Zealanders in the Mortal Engines film coming out in December 2018.

Reeve visited Wellington's Stone Street Productions in May where the film is being shot.

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During the interview, FitzGerald mentioned that New Zealand has really "grasped" its film industry and "wrung every single opportunity out of it".

SUPPLIED Mortal Engines, by Philip Reeve is being made into a movie.

"And good for them," he said.

Reeve agreed.

"It's an extraordinary set-up they've got down there and it's the studios and post-production facilities and things dotted around the suburbs of Wellington and it's all fantastic," he said.

Reeve responded to FitzGerald's query as to whether New Zealand would be used as a back drop for the film, however Reeve informed him the movie is very studio-based.

"As far as I could tell, it's very much studio based, I assume that there will be a few bits of footage from outside but it's basically studio based sets and I think all the exteriors will be created digitally," Reeve said.

Asked what his thoughts were on the movie being made out of his 2001 book, Reeve said it was very strange for him.

"It basically comes from the sort of early 90s when I was thinking it up," he explained.

"And to walk into this studio in Wellington and and think 'ooh, I know all these places, these, these look strangely familiar', and they were, you know, they were the places I had imagined kind of 20-25 years ago, brought to life and remarkably close to how I'd visualised them as well.

"A lot of it was very, very similar to how I'd imagined, and the stuff that wasn't was better. So that was all very good."

He said visually, it looks very close to how he imagined the setting but was prepared for the story and characters to be altered for the film.

"I'm quite happy to see someone else's version of it," he said.

"When I was down there, the joke everybody was saying (was) "oh, we've never worked with a living author before," cause this is the same team that...did the Lord of the Rings movies, isn't it."

Reeve said there was "quite a nice range" of British, Irish and New Zealand actors.

He said there were "lots of New Zealand people in it as well".

Mortal Engines will be released on December 14, 2018.