Los Angeles, Dec 4 (IANS): Actress Hera Hilmar was finalised for "Mortal Engines" with just her audition tape, says writer Philippa Boye.

Hilmar will be seen as the protagonist Hester Shaw in the film.

"The audition tape was so strong that after a Skype call with Hilmar we cast her without meeting her in-person," writer Philippa Boyens said in a statement to IANS.

"Hera reminds me of Ingrid Bergman, a classic beauty and an old soul with a calmness about her-absolutely perfect for the role of Hester," Boyens added.

Director Christian Rivers also praised Hilmar.

"She was just perfect, relatively unknown, captivating, beautiful and fragile, and we knew we could put a scar on her," Rivers said.

Peter Jacksons' "Mortal Engines" will release in India on December 7, a week before its US release.

Based on Philip Reeve's book by the same name, "Mortal Engines" is set in a steampunk world where entire cities have been mounted on wheels and prey on one another. It depicts a world of predator cities existing thousands of years after current civilization has been destroyed by a cataclysmic event.

Universal Pictures International India is bringing the film to India. It will release in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.