As we noted back in May, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg are joining forces to adapt a European comic book icon into a trilogy of films. Tintin, a character created by Belgian artist Herge, will star in three motion capture 3-D animated films using cutting edge technology. Jackson and Spielberg will each direct one of the films and Spielberg’s producing partner Kathleen Kennedy will oversee all three.
Since the characters need to have something to say, The Hollywood Reporter says that Steven Moffat has been hired to write the scripts for the three movies. Moffat has primarily done television work in Britain. He wrote Coupling, Dr. Who, and Jekyll for British television, but this will be his first produced movie script. No sense in starting small.
Tintin is about the title character's adventures with his dog. Popular characters like Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus and the detectives Thompson and Thompson are sure to figure in the ambitious movie project. How well all of this will play in America is less certain. The comic was never popular with the masses as it is in Europe and the technology is untried. Still, the names of Jackson and Spielberg will put butts in the seats, so get ready for a new franchise starting in 2009.
