AFP have a interesting story on how Herge’s original paintings for the Tintin strips are becoming highly collectable works of art.

A 1932 oil painted for by the Belgian author Herge for the cover of “Tintin in America” is the star item at a one-off sale of 650 comic originals Saturday in Paris, with a starting price of 280,000 euros (440,000 dollars).

“A museum piece. Sublime,” writes the Artcurial gallery and auction house, which is organising the sale, in its catalogue.

Source: Comic book originals break into art market

Originally a story from the Daily Mail, the rumor that Thomas Sangster has been cast as Tintin is getting stronger. The Telegraph has no new information except that are 100% certain. There is none of the fudging found in the Mail’s story such as “is about to sign…”.

I doubt that the Telegraph has any better sources of information that the Mail so I think this is just bad reporting. Sangster being cast is a just a rumour, one of many like Simon Pegg being cast as Tintin, though he does have the looks to make a good Tintin.

The Telegraph goes on to say that they don’t know which of the Tintin Books is being made into the film. Obviously they haven’t read this blog. We reported back in October that Red Rackham’s Treasure & Crab With The Golden Claws to be the Tintin Movies . Logically, Crab With The Golden Claws will be the first Tintin movie as this book introduces Captain Haddock.

Souce: Spielberg casts British teenager as Tintin

Tintin publisher Raymond Leblanc died over the weekend. Comics Reporter have a good obituary.

A civil servant turned member of the French Resistance in World War II, the Longlier native partnered with two friends to create a small publishing company on Rue du Lombard in Brussels. Their big coup came in 1945 when they convinced Herge to bring his Tintin into the fold of a weekly publication devoted to kids to share the feature’s name. The cartoonist, already a success with a dozen albums to his credit but battered personally and professionally by the limited publishing opportunities during the war in a way that would drive criticism his way for the remainder of his days, accepted their offer. He recruited three friends — Paul Cuvelier, Edgard P. Jacobs, Jacques Laudy — to help him form the core of the magazine. They and their successors would take aim at the successful Spirou and forge a successful legacy for themselves at the same time.

Full Obituary

Over on Now Read This there is a comprehensive review of Tintin and the Lake of Sharks

Although lacking the satirical edge of Hergé’s comedy, action and slapstick are still well represented in this tale which turns animation stills into sequential narrative, with admittedly mixed results. Purists who love the artist’s landmark and legendary Ligne Claire style will be deterred that is laid over and across fully-rendered, moulded and painted backgrounds, but although it is initially jarring, the story does swiftly carry the reader beyond such quibbles.

The Daily Mail (not the most reliable paper in the world) is reporting that 17 year old Thomas Sangster has been cast as Tintin. Sangster is no stranger to the movies, he played the son in Love Actually, he also appeared in Nanny McPhee and is about to start work on James Cameron’s Bright Star.

I’ve not seen Thomas Sangster in any films but this photo shows he has the right look to him. He seems a better prospect than Kirsten Myburgh. However I’m not going to make predictions. This story appeared in the Daily Mail’s Showbiz section so hasn’t been subjected to the already low editorial standards of the news desk. It could easily be Sangster’s agent getting some free publicity by floating a rumour to a gullible journalist. Or it could be an example of a great scoop.

Source: Well, actually … Tom’s on the case as Tintin via Marketsaw

Award winning, best selling author of the Discworld novels, Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In typical style, Terry has decided to use his fame to draw attention to the low levels of funding for research into Alzheimer’s. He has given £500,000 ( $1,000,000 ) to research and has been round the TV and radio stations raising awareness of this terrible but often hidden disease.

In response, the millions of Discworld fans are coming together for Match It For Pratchett. A campaign to match Terry’s £500,000 with £500,000 raised from fans around the world. In just four days, £35,000 has been collected.

If you are a fan of the Discworld or want to help fight a disease which, in Terry’s words, “which strips away your living self a bit at a time” then please donate. There is a donation jar on the web site plus full details of how to give directly to various national charities.

P.s. I’m also the web master for Match It For Pratchett so their may be less updates around here for a while.

According to Andy Serkis, interviewed in Indie London, Steven Spielberg will begin shooting the first Tintin Movie (almost certainly The Secret of the Unicorn) in September. With Peter Jackson directing the second ( Red Rackhams Treasure ). Serkis also confirmed that he is to play Captain Haddock.

Q. Are you going to be reuniting with Peter Jackson again for Tintin?
Andy Serkis: 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.

Q. Were you at all worried when Peter first got back in touch that having played Gollum and King Kong, he might ask you to play Snowy the dog?
Andy Serkis: [laughs] Absolutely, in fact people assume that I am, which is even more disturbing [he’s playing Captain Haddock].

The Cottage – Andy Serkis interview

Tintin in Tibet was my favourite Tintin book when I was a child and remains so as an adult. I’m sort of glad they aren’t doing it as the film because I don’t think a film can capture the stillness of the book. Instead they are doing movies of The Secret of the Unicorn, Red Rackham’s Treasure and the Crab With The Golden Claws.

The Yeti from Tintin in Tibet always stood out to me as a character. Unlike other characters from the books, the Yeti isn’t motivated by money or power. He’s not a spy, a criminal, a freedom fighter or a repressed minority. He is driven by real emotion to rescue and tend the injured Chang. The Yeti’s loneliness when Chang is taken away by Tintin has real pathos.

Naturally a blog called I Love the Yeti caught my eye. Its looking are the changing face of the Yeti over the years and is best summed up in the post Yeti in Popular Culture and Tintin of course gets a mention.

From Timothy McSweeney

• Tintin Interferes in the Georgian Election
• Tintin in Darfur
• Tintin Blames America First
• Prescription Drugs of the Canadians
• The Chinese Environmental Nightmare
• The Venezuelan Tin Ear
• The African-American Island
• President Milošević’s Sceptre

More at The 21st-Century Adventures of Tintin

Tintin movie director Steven Spielberg has a busy schedule with the latest Indiana Jones film coming out soon, a biopic of Lincoln on the cards and of course, one of the three Tintin films. He is also working on The Trial of the Chicago 7, due to star Sacha Baron Cohen. Problems with scheduling actors and a potential actor’s strike are causing problems for the production. What this means for the Tintin movie is unknown.

Source – Steven Spielberg Delays The Trial of the Chicago 7?