Tintin (film)

Infobox Film
name = Tintin


director = Steven Spielberg
producer = Steven Spielberg
Kathleen Kennedy
Peter Jackson
writer = Steven Moffat "(screenplay)" Hergé "(comics)"
starring = Thomas Sangster
Andy Serkis
distributor = DreamWorks
released = 2010
runtime =
language = English
budget = $130 million
gross =
followed_by =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0983193

"Tintin" is an upcoming motion capture 3-D film based "The Adventures of Tintin", a series of comic books created by Belgian artist Georges "Hergé" Remi. Thomas Sangster and Andy Serkis will star as Tintin and Captain Haddock, respectively. It will be directed by Steven Spielberg, and the script by Steven Moffat is based on two directly-linked stories published in the 1940s, "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure", the latter of which introduced Professor Calculus. [cite news|author=Leo Cendrowicz and Jay A. Fernandez|title=Steven Spielberg still on board for 'Tintin'|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=2008-08-26|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3icaabfeb875c91a9ea2aa8044d64695df|accessdate=2008-08-27]

Peter Jackson, whose company Weta Digital is providing the animation, is producing the film and will direct a sequel. Spielberg and Jackson also hope to co-direct a third film.

Cast

*Thomas Sangster as Tintin, a teenage journalist. Sangster was introduced to the character as a child via the 1990s animated series. He likened Tintin to a "super boy scout", while revelling in the political incorrectness of the character "go [ing] where [ever] he pleases". He also liked the amount of research Hergé made in his comics, such as the vehicles and weapons.cite news|author=Mark Brown|title=Blistering barnacles! It's Spielberg's new Tintin|work=guardian.co.uk|date=2008-03-28|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/mar/28/books.news|accessdate=2008-09-03] Spielberg had decreed in 2002 he was searching for a 16 or 17-year old for the part, rather than a 13-year old.
*Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock. Serkis had played Gollum in Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" and King Kong in his 2005 remake, which were both roles requiring motion capture. Serkis joked he was concerned that Jackson wanted him to play Tintin's dog Snowy, [cite news|title=The Cottage - Andy Serkis interview|work=indieLondon|date=2007|url=http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/the-cottage-andy-serkis-interview|accessdate=2008-09-04] who will be entirely animated. Serkis remarked upon reading the comics again for the role that they had a surreal Pythonesque quality.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were offered to play Thomson and Thompson, bumbling detectives who are almost completely alike. Pegg visited the set after completing "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People", where Spielberg suggested that he and Frost play the duo. [cite news|author=Stephen Armstrong|title=Simon Pegg: He’s Mr Popular|work=The Sunday Times|date=2008-09-21|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article4774264.ece|accessdate=2008-09-21] Brian Howe, who had a role in "Catch Me If You Can", auditioned for a role having been a childhood fan of the comic. [cite news|title=Journeyman's Brian Howe in Tintin?|work=Comics2Film|date=2007-12-14|url=http://www.comics2film.com/index.php?a=story&b=30435|accessdate=2008-09-22]

Development

Spielberg has been an avid fan of "The Adventures of Tintin" comic books, which he discovered in 1981 when a review compared "Raiders of the Lost Ark" to Tintin. His secretary bought him French-language editions of each book, but Spielberg did not have to understand them: he immediately fell in love with its art.cite news | author = Ruben V. Nepales | title = Spielberg may co-direct next with Peter Jackson | work = Philippine Daily Inquirer | date = 2008-05-18 | url = http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view/20080518-137261/Spielberg-may-co-direct-next-with-Peter-Jackson | accessdate=2008-05-18] Meanwhile, the comics' creator Hergé, who hated the previous live action film versions and the cartoon, became a fan of Spielberg. Michael Farr, author of "Tintin: The Complete Companion", recalled Hergé "thought Spielberg was the only person who could ever do Tintin justice".cite news|author=Jeff Dawson|title=Tintin and the Movie Moguls?|work=The Sunday Times|date=2007-05-27|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article1830463.ece|accessdate=2008-09-03] Spielberg and his production partner Kathleen Kennedy of Amblin Entertainment were scheduled to meet with Hergé in 1983 while filming "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" in London. Hergé died that week, but his widow decided to give them the rights. A three-year long option to film the comics was finalized in 1984.

Spielberg commissioned "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) writer Melissa Mathison to script a film where Tintin battles ivory hunters in Africa. Unsatisfied, Spielberg continued with production on "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989). The rights returned to the Hergé Foundation. Claude Berri and Roman Polanski became interested in filming the property, while Warner Bros. negotiated long and hard for the rights, but they could not guarantee the "creative integrity" that the Foundation found in Spielberg. In 2001, Spielberg revealed his interest in depicting Tintin with computer animation. [cite news|author=Paul Davidson|title=Enfin, a Tintin Movie|work=IGN|date=2001-08-29|url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/305/305331p1.html|accessdate=2008-09-03] In November 2002, his studio DreamWorks reestablished the option to film the series. [cite news | title = Tintin 'to become movie hero' | work = BBC News Online | date = 2002-11-22 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/2502495.stm | accessdate=2007-10-10] Spielberg said he would just produce the film.cite news | author = Steve Head | url = http://movies.ign.com/articles/380/380514p1.html | title = An Interview with Steven Spielberg | work = IGN | date = 2002-12-17 | accessdate = 2008-06-30] In 2004, the French magazine "Capital" reported Spielberg was intending a trilogy based on "Secret of the Unicorn" / "Red Rackham's Treasure", "The Seven Crystal Balls" / "Prisoners of the Sun" and "The Blue Lotus" / "Tintin in Tibet" (the last two are not a single story, but both feature the Chang Chong-Chen character). [cite news|author=Paul Davidson|title=Spielberg Planning Tintin Trilogy?|work=IGN|date=2004-01-14|url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/463/463162p1.html|accessdate=2008-09-03]

Meanwhile, Peter Jackson, who had long been fascinated with 3-D filmmaking, was impressed by recent advances in the format.cite news|author=Sharon Waxman|title=Top Directors See the Future, and They Say It’s in 3-D|work=The New York Times|date=2007-05-22|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/movies/22dime.html?_r=1&ei=5070&en=d97d3fc56f20c686&ex=1183780800&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all|accessdate=2008-09-04] Spielberg and Jackson agreed that a live action adaptation would not do justice to the comic books and motion capture was the best way of representing Hergé's world of Tintin. A week of filming took place in November 2007 in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California, on the stage where James Cameron shot "Avatar". Serkis had been cast, while Jackson stood in for Tintin. Cameron was present during the shoot. The footage was transmitted to Weta Digital, who produced a twenty-minute test reel that demonstrated a photorealistic depiction of the characters.

An official announcement about the collaboration was made in May 2007, although both filmmakers had to wait to film it: Spielberg was preparing "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (which was due for May 2008) and Jackson was planning "The Lovely Bones" (October 2009).cite news |author=Pamela McClintock, Anne Thompson|url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117964927.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=tintin |title = Spielberg, Jackson team for Tintin |work = Variety |date= 2007-05-14 |accessdate = 2007-05-24] In October 2007, Steven Moffat was announced as having signed on to write the screenplays for two of the "Tintin" films. [cite news | author = Carly Mayberry | title = Scribe Moffat on 'Tintin' case | work = The Hollywood Reporter | date = 2007-10-02 | url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ia426500233e132c7ae7d566d04f0282e | accessdate=2007-10-02] Moffat said he was "love bombed" by Spielberg into accepting the offer to write the films, with the director promising to shield him from studio interference with his writing. [cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article4072239.ece|title=Police deployed against paparazzi|author=John Harlow|work=The Times|date=2008-06-08|accessdate=2008-06-12] Moffat finished the first script, but could not complete the second because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. He then became executive producer of "Doctor Who", leading Spielberg and Jackson (the latter of whom is a fan of the show) to allow him to leave and fulfil his duty to the series. [cite news|title=Dr Who writer denies Tintin row|work=BBC News Online|date=2008-07-21|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7517423.stm|accessdate=2008-09-03]

Andy Serkis stated filming would continue in March and September 2008.cite news|title=Tintin a Go-go|work=Empire|date=2008-09-03|pages=22] Spielberg said it will take thirty days to shoot each film; Spielberg will film his in Los Angeles while Jackson will film his in New Zealand. An internet connection between Weta in New Zealand will allow Spielberg to view the animated version of his film while shooting in Los Angeles [cite news|author=Todd Gilchrist|title=Jackson + Spielberg = Tintin|work=IGN|date=2007-10-09|url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/826/826038p1.html|accessdate=2008-09-03] Yet, the month before the bulk of the shoot was to begin, Universal, who had held the right to finance the picture since Amblin first acquired the rights, turned down that option. They balked at providing half the budget of the three films, each of which were estimated to cost $130 million, citing the low box office of the motion capture films "Monster House" and "Beowulf". Spielberg and Jackson also requested 30% of the gross. Paramount Pictures (which is owned by Viacom, who also control DreamWorks) had hoped Universal would co-produce the film after providing $30 million on pre-production efforts. Spielberg and his colleague David Geffen found it embarrassing that Paramount would have to fully finance the film, because their association with the studio was difficult and led them to leave Viacom in 2008. Spielberg gave a ten-minute presentation of the film, hoping they would approve for filming to begin again in October. [cite news|author=Claudia Eller|title=Studio says no to Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson|work=Los Angeles Times|date=2008-09-19|url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tintin19-2008sep19,0,5882061.story|accessdate=2008-09-19]

References

External links

*imdb title|0983193|Tintin