Steven Spielberg to Direct The First Adventure of TinTin
Last year it was announced that Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg would be directing a trilogy of 3D performance capture films based on the popular comic book series The Adventures of TinTin created by Belgian artist Hergé. However, it was never revealed who would direct the first film. Andy Serkis, who will play Captain Haddock in the series, revealed to IndieLondon that Spielberg will in fact be tackling the series first.
“In fact tomorrow I’m flying out to start on Tintin. Steven Spielberg is directing the first one, and then Peter Jackson is doing the second. The bulk of the shoot starts in September but things got a little bit moved around after the writers’ strike.”
This means that Jackson will likely film the second film in the series. British scribe Steven Moffat penned the screenplay adaptation. The first film is currently scheduled to hit theaters in 2009 (although that could easily change).
Andy Serkis in Tintin
Peter Jackson regular Andy Serkis (you know, the guy behind the characters of Golumn and King Kong) has signed on to star in the upcoming Tintin trilogy. No word on what character (or characters) Serkis might play. The film will be shot using performance capture technology similar to that used on Beowulf. And the completed films will be presented in digital 3D.
Jackson and Steven Spielberg are both set to direct one of the films, although the order isn’t clear. Spielberg has said that the third film will either be directed in collaboration between the two, or by a hand picked third director. Rumor has it that Robert Zemeckis’ name has been thrown around.
Filming is set to begin in September 2008.
Based on the classic comic-strip, Tintin follows the adventures of a junior reporter and his faithful dog Snowy.
Liv Tyler Talks The Hobbit
We’ve heard from Ian McKellen, he’s on board. Elijah Wood said he would return if needed, as did Cate Blanchett and Andy Serkis. Among the rest of that cast we haven’t heard from is Liv Tyler, who played elf Arwen in the Lord of the Rings. Would she return to play her character in the upcoming Hobbit films? IGN spoke to her while she was promoting The Strangers.
“Somebody just said to me, ‘Has your agent called Peter Jackson yet?’” laughs the actress. “And I was like, ‘Whoa. What are you talking about?’ [The reporter] was so aggressive. It’s so funny the way people think and see [these things]. Someone just told me now that [director] Guillermo del Toro was doing it and that they’re going to split it into two films, which will be The Hobbit plus some sort of a bridge to The Lord of the Rings. As far as I know, Arwen and Aragorn are not in The Hobbit, or definitely aren’t in it. But I don’t know yet.”
While Tyler points out that Arwen does not show up in the book version of The Hobbit, the so-called bridge film could be another matter altogether.
“It’s very interesting and I guess I should try to find out,” she says. “I’m curious because there were all those other books like The Silmarillion. And the appendix, that’s where they got the whole idea for my part, just from the appendix. There’s so much other amazing stuff.”
She says she is definitely onboard for a return appearance if del Toro and producer Peter Jackson invite her.
“Oh, are you kidding?” she says when asked. “In a heartbeat! I’ll buy my own ticket and be on the plane in a second. I mean, that was a magical experience and it was just a once in a lifetime, amazing [thing]. Because it was so like… we knew and we didn’t know that it was sort of something that had never been done before, and there was this feeling that was really gung-ho. Like, ‘O.K., let’s go off together!’ And we just rolled our sleeves up. It really was this amazing, crazy, special thing.”
Thomas Sangster Talks Tintin!
The Daily Mail reported that Thomas Sangster had landed the role of Tintin in…Tintin, and now they have had the chance to talk to him about the role.
The teenager, who is taking A levels in art and media studies and works part-time at a garage, admits he had not read the Tintin books until a few days ago.
He said: “I love the cartoons. I never saw the books because I was never that big on reading. Tintin is like a super boy scout. He would hit people over the head with bottles. He was cool.”
I suppose that is the typical response from a teenager, ‘I don’t read and violence is cool’. No doubt Steven Spielberg hired him because he has some talent, which should be interesting to see through all of the Beowulf style motion capture that will be going on.
Andy Serkis is already on board as Captain Haddock, and some filming is taking place as you read this. Filming on the film will officially start over in New Zealand later this year.