Tintin News Item

Here's a little news item about the three Tintin movies that Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg are working on.

(Feature Writer's Note: I sometimes use this space to divulge news briefs when I don't have enough info to turn it into a full article)

Directors Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) and Steven Spielberg (need you ask?) have divulged some further information about the trio of Tintin flicks that they are working on for DreamWorks Animation.

According to movie site JoBlo, all three movies will be made using motion-capture, the controversial animation medium that powered such films as Polar Express, the Oscar-winning Happy Feet and the upcoming Beowulf. Spielberg will direct the first one Tintin flick in Los Angeles, and Peter Jackson will direct the second at his WETA digs in New Zealand.

Despite the different locations, Jackson and Spielberg will be working closely with each other on both films (guess they'll be really racking up the Air Miles points, won't they?). They claim that each movie will take approximately 30 days to shoot, then they'll need an undisclosed amount of time to transform the actors into "real Hergé people!"

Spielberg also announced that if they don't find a director for the third film (there will certainly be no shortage of applicants), then he and Jackson will co-direct the flick together. Steven Moffat (Dr. Who) has been brought in to adapt an as-yet undisclosed Hergé story for the big screen.

The first Tintin film is tentatively scheduled for a 2009 release.