Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson's Tintin

In 1929, Belgian artist Georges Prosper Remi, who was best known as Hergé, created the first story of Tintin, who was a young Belgian reporter and traveller, who had a knack for helping to solve mysteries, along with his faithful dog Snowy, and companions such as Captain Haddock, Professor Cuthbert Calculus and Thompson and Thomson. His first adventure was in Le Petit Vingtième, which appeared in the January 10th 1929 edition of the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle. The comic strip soon became popular, and became published in newspapers around the world. It made Hergé world famous. The strips were published in books, published in over 50 languages and more than 200 million copies of the books sold. In 1958, Tintin was made into a cartoon series entitled Hergé's Adventures of Tintin, produced by Belvision. Over 100 5 minute episodes were made. Films were made throughout the 1960's and 70's. In the early 1990's, Canadian animation house Nelvana made The Adventures of Tintin, which is most famous and most faithful adaptation of Hergé's character and stories. Nearly 80 years after his first adventure, it was always going to be a matter of time before Hollywood came calling. One man who has wanted to do a film of Tintin is Steven Spielberg, himself a fan of the stories. He'd bought an option to do a film of Tintin shortly before Hergé's death in 1983. It's taken 25 years to realise it, but now, it might finally be happening!! Yes folks, Tintin is coming to cinemas, but it won't be one film, it'll be THREE films!!

Not much is known about the films plot or indeed which of Hergé's 23 Tintin books will be adaptated. But, they might have found someone to play Tintin. It's been reported that the part has been given to young English actor Thomas Sangster, best known for appearing in Love, Actually (2003) and Nanny McPhee (2005). His agent had sent Spielberg a tape, auditioning for the long-in-development-hell adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Strauss' book, The Talisman. Upon viewing the tape, Spielberg found his Tintin. To play Tintin's companion, the coarse but heroic Captain Haddock. They've found a brilliant choice, Andy Serkis!!

Now, Spielberg has planned Tintin as a trilogy, and he'll be directing the first film. Due to start filming anytime between now and next spring, to direct the second film, Spielberg has found a brilliant choice, New Zealand's greatest filmmaker, Peter Jackson!! It was Jackson who suggested Serkis for the part of Captain Haddock, and Spielberg has wanted to work with Jackson for a few years. At the moment, Jackson is working on The Lovely Bones (2009), which is being produced by Spielberg at DreamWorks. Universal were originally set to co-produce the film, but suddenly dropped out, fearing that it wouldn't make a profit. Not to be beaten however, Spielberg has been able to secure a co-production deal with Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures, however they've only decided to do 2 films as opposed to the 3 films Spielberg had planned, we'll see what happens soon...

To bring Tintin to life, they wanted it to be as faithful to Hergé's original comic strips as possible. But, it was decided that they couldn't do it in live-action. Although, Spielberg had pursued in doing a live-action version back in the mid-1990's, with Robert Zemeckis attached to direct it, and horror of horrors, Macaulay Culkin attached to play Tintin!! Nothing ever came of it though. However, Spielberg and Jackson have decided that the only way to do justice to Tintin, would be to do it as a motion-capture film. The same technique used in the films The Polar Express (2004), Monster House (2006) and Beowulf (2007). It's a process which has it's pro's and con's. On one hand, you can realise worlds with it that you can't do with live-action films, as there's only so far you can go. On the other hand, getting the characters to look realistic is a little problematic. One major criticism with The Polar Express was that the characters looked like soulless zombies, especially when it came to the eyes. However, it would appear Jackson got it right when he created Gollum for LOTR and King Kong. It's an interesting way of doing it, but Spielberg defends it, he says, "Herge's characters have been reborn as living beings, expressing emotion and a soul which goes far beyond anything we've seen to date with computer animated characters. We want Tintin's adventures to have the reality of a live-action film, and yet Peter and I felt that shooting them in a traditional live-action format would simply not honor the distinctive look of the characters and world that Herge created." To write the films, British writer Steven Moffat, (best known for writing TV shows such as Press Gang, Coupling and some episodes of Doctor Who), was employed, but when he was offered to take over writing duties on Doctor Who, left the film. They're still looking for another writer.





Anyone looking forwards to how Tintin will look on the big screen?? It'll be interesting to see what Spielberg will do with it, and equally more so when Peter Jackson takes on the second film. It's always a dangerous game adaptating comic books for the big screen. It's one thing to do something like Superman or Spider-Man, but it's entirely another to attempt a film like Tintin. Because Hergé's original characters are so universally recognised and loved, it's a risky project, but it just might work. Spielberg wouldn't have taken it on if he knew it wouldn't work, the same with Jackson, who you could trust with just about anything after LOTR or King Kong. However, they haven't found a third director for part 3 of the trilogy. If it's motion-capture, how about Robert Zemeckis?? He's just about perfected the craft...

Here's an odd bit of casting for the film, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have been cast as Thompson and Thomson!! Stunt casting it may be, it could work...

NEWS!!

Jamie Bell will be playing Tintin, Daniel Craig has been cast as pirate Red Rackham, and Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish are doing the script!!

BRILLIANT!! The Spielberg directed first film will be called The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.

Two more Brits have joined the cast, Toby Jones, who was recently in W. and Frost/Nixon will be playing the evil Silk, and Mackenzie Crook, (who was in Skins last night, and other Hollywood films like the POTC franchise and The Brothers Grimm), is also in the film!!

Filming on Spielberg's segment wraps this week, and Peter Jackson is gonna take over with the special effects!! They haven't started with the second segment yet, but Jackson has some ideas for it...

CLICK HERE!! Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson do a video for Comic-Con, dressed in bowler hats like Thompson and Thomson!!

How's about that then??

"I'm Steven Spielberg with an S"
"I'm Peter Jackson with a P"




Two of my favourite directors of all time working together, I sooooooo hope that this will be amazing.

I am very excited by this film...Spielberg & Jackson...TINTIN!!!! I grew up reading the books, so am intrigued to see what happens!

Who knows, the casting of Snowy could make or break it

Oh, & as a random aside, I still haven't got used to the new skinny Peter Jackson!

Simon Pegg talks about Tintin!!

Nick Frost calls it the most stressful thing he's ever done, but he called Spielberg "amazing!!"

CHECK THIS OUT!!

And there'll be more where that come from in the next edition of Empire!!

It's now been rumoured that Edgar Wright could be doing the 3rd film...

Well, we've got a LONG, LONG wait until we see Tintin!! :sad: According to this, the UK get the film in November 2011, and America get it in December...

They must be making sure it's done right and all...

Here a little more info on us getting it sooner...

I'm still miffed to know why we have to wait until 2011. In the words of Jeremy Clarkson, "How hard can it be??"

It's probably just me, but i never liked Tintin EVER - so this will be one Spielberg film i wont go to see.

I was never a great fan of Tintin but I'll still be seeing this, and I can only imagine it'll take 2 years to make sure it looks spot on, none of that weird Polar Express look.

Well, it will be different in look to the photo-realism of The Polar Express or Beowulf, as it's look will be based on Herge's books, so they won't look like zombies. Hopefully...

Peter Jackson talks about Tintin and the sequels!! Jackson begins his Tintin film in the latter half of 2010!!

There's going to be a Tintin computer game!!

And Spielberg's film combines 4 Tintin books, The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Shooting Star, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure.

Peter Jackson says Spielberg has finished his cut of Tintin, now they have to render the animation to it.

Spielberg talks about shooting Tintin!!

Cary Elwes talks about making Tintin with Spielberg!!

Note: He's also playing George Harrison in Robert Zemeckis' Yellow Submarine!!

Steven Spielberg "beat" Simon Pegg up on the set of Tintin!!

It was all in the name of cinema though!!

TINTIN IMAGES REVEALED!!





And the cover of the new Empire!!

Those images are getting some stick over at Empire.