Based on some fairly flimsy evidence, it appears that the video game tie-in for Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, will be available on the Wii and the PS/3.

See: Tintin The Videogame: PS3 / Wii Bound Only? and RUMOR – Tintin game may be hitting Wii, PS3 exclusive.

Andy Serkis (Captain Haddock) said in an interview that filming will start in two weeks (around the 25th January). However there is is absolutely no word on who is to play Tintin.

Andy Serkis on Tintin and The Hobbit

Only a couple of crumbs of Tintin news this week.

Tintin book targetted over native stereotypes by a school board in Peterborough (America). Whilst I admire their aim to counter stereotypical images of native americans, they seem to miss the point. Tintin in America is racist as were a lot of his early books but Herge was a product of his time and most importantly recognised he was wrong. In later books he went out of his way to show a more sympathetic view of native cultures. Books like Tintin in America should be available to children along with adults who are able to explain the books context.

Simon Pegg once more denies a link to the Tintin movies: Simon Pegg denies Tintin rumours.

Show Me The Money

After several weeks of uncertainty it seems the Spielberg and Jackson have found financing from a joint venture between Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures. Paramount will be handling the films in the English speaking world whilst Sony deals with what some American web sites refer to as the “foreign” distribution. Given that Tintin is a Belgium comic, written in French and translated into 30+ languages, I think Sony gets the better part of the deal.

Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd

The Sony/ Paramount deal has raised some questions. Initial reports from the New York Time suggested that the deal only included two films, not the planned trilogy. There has been no official announcement and the reporter behind the NYT story has a reputation of inaccuracy according to some movie blogs. A two film deal makes sense as the idea that the third film would be jointly directed by Jackson and Spielberg always seemed odd.

However most informed coverage of this story insists it will be three films and three films makes sense. A lot of the cost of these films is in the license and the set up for the special effects. Spreading these costs across three films makes financial sense.

Will The Real Tintin Please Stand Up

Though never officially announced as Tintin, Thomas Sangster appears to have pulled out of the project. It seems that the films new shooting schedule falling back to 2009 / 2010, means that Thomas can no longer fit it in.

Variety Magazine has stated that Thomas Sangster will not be playing Tintin. Sangster was widely rumoured to have been cast but it was never formally announced. The source of the problem seems to be the delays caused by Dreamwork’s split from Paramount and subsequent funding difficulties. This news appears in passing in a report by columnist Anne Thompson but no sources are given and no one else is reporting this.

More positively, Dreamworks has a distribution deal with Universal in place and Paramount are still keen to fund the films if Spielberg and Jackson cut there fees.

Source: Films up in the air after studios split, DreamWorks/Universal Union Disruptive?

There is still a lot of rumor flying around about whether the Tintin movies will get made. As we reported earlier (Tintin Movie in Financial Quagmire) Dreamworks is splitting from Paramount. As Tintin was a joint Universal and Paramount production it was assumed that Universal would pick up the film. However it seems that Universal are not keen on the $130 million price tag or the 30% gross Spielberg and Jackson are demanding.

With a reported $30 million already spent on scripts and pre-production costs, and two of the biggest names in the business wanting to direct, it seems likely that the films will get made. This may just be a negation technique from Universal to get the directorial duo to cut their fees.

Source: Universal Pictures pulls plug on ‘Tintin’

Simon Pegg, one of Britain’s leading comedy actors, has a big puff piece in the Sunday Times including an anecdote about meeting Spielberg.

…when he gets a call saying Steven Spielberg would like to meet him.


So he trots over to the motion-capture set for the ET director’s latest project – the first in a trilogy of Tintin movies. Motion-capture sets are bizarre, empty places. The event has been shot and is held in a computerised camera, which allows the director to swoop around the scene. As a result, there is only a computer guy and Spielberg sitting there.

“Steven’s smoking a stogy, cap on head, like he’s always been since I was a baby,” Pegg says, shaking his head in wonder. “I shook his hand and chatted about films. He gave me the mo-cap [motion-capture] camera, and I had a play around with it. Then he said, ‘Hey, maybe you and Nick Frost could play the Thompson Twins.’ In Tintin. A Spielberg movie. To work with him is beyond .. . ” He trails off, lost for words.

Source: Simon Pegg: He’s Mr Popular

• There has been some speculation that Spielberg would not direct the first movie after all. Apparently the source of this rumour was Herge Studios but is has been denied by both Spielberg and Jackson. However there is still no confirmation of Sangster as Tintin or any other cast and no sign that filming is about to start. Source: Steven Spielberg Still Directing ‘Tintin’
• The Pink Lotus, a Spanish update of Tintin featuring him as a 30 year-old tabloid journalist having a mid-life crisis has been pulled from the shelves due to its adult content: Bawdy Tintin book withdrawn from shelves and Twisted Tintin: Iconoclasm and the Belgian Boy Wonder
• Tintin fan Barrimore England-Davis has set out on a journey to follow the route taken by Tintin in the book Land of Black Gold: Tintin fan’s epic trip

The Tintin Trilogy is being made by Dreamworks, Spielberg’s production company, which is owned by Viacom via its subsidiary Paramount. However Spielberg is in the process of buying back Dreamworks from Viacom for $1.2 billion USD and there is uncertainty over projects that currently in production. Will those joint Paramount/Dreamwork’s productions be able to continue or will they go on hold until Spielberg and Viacom have decided who owns what?

Source: Viacom Boss Dauman Looking Forward To Losing Dreamworks

It appears that when Moffat Walked Away From Tintin, he in fact didn’t. Not too surprisingly the Daily Mail over egged the story and in reality, the US Writer’s strike stopped him writing the second script.

BBC News: Dr Who writer denies Tintin row and
Moffat promises new Who monsters