Steven Spielberg Tintin First Look
Hergé Adaptation Features Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis, Jamie Bell
Apr 17, 2009
After a rocky start, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson's 3-picture collaboration on The Adventures of Tintin is finally getting into gear. The financing has been taken care of – plus they have a script – and now production has started on the first film of the trilogy, The Secret of the Unicorn. Filming wrapped in March, and it's currently in post-production.
Spielberg is directing this first flick, with Jackson helming the second. It's not confirmed but rumour has it that the two directors will actually collaborate on the third film.
Secret of the Unicorn Set Pictures Feature Steven Spielberg, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis
Empire recently scored some exclusive pictures of Spielberg directing two of the series' stars, Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis, all decked out in motion-capture gear. The fact that the Great Beard of the Universe is guest-editing the mag's 20th anniversary issue might have helped Empire score this coup.
Jamie Bell (Defiance) is now the voice and body of Tintin, the intrepid Belgian reporter created by Hergé for his classic comic. Thomas Sangster (Love Actually) was originally prepped to play the role but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.
The Adventures of Tintin trilogy is being rendered in motion-capture – the same technique used in movies like Beowulf and Monster House – so that it will more closely resemble comic creator George "Hergé" Remi's art.
Hergé developed the "ligne claire" style of drawing, which not only influenced several generations of comic artists in both Europe and North America, but was also praised by more "high" artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
Andy Serkis is portraying Tintin's best friend and sidekick, the alcoholic Captain Haddock. Serkis is no stranger to motion-capture or Peter Jackson: he portrayed the titular ape in Jackson's King Kong (which also featured Bell in a supporting role) and was the voice and body of Gollum in the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Daniel Craig (Quantum of Solace), Simon Pegg (Star Trek, Hot Fuzz), Nick Frost (Shawn of the Dead), and Toby Jones (Frost/Nixon) help fill out the cast. Writers Joe Cornish (Adam and Joe Go Tokyo), Steven Moffat (Dr. Who) and Shawn of the Dead/Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright are credited with working on the screenplay.
The Secret of the Unicorn is tentatively scheduled for a 2011 release, with no release dates scheduled for the follow-up, Red Rackham's Treasure and the as-yet untitled third film.
Fun Fact: Is motion-capture animation? Enough people think so that it's included in this section.
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