Spielberg’s TINTIN Will Be Released In December 2011 In The US – And It’s Gonna Be In 3D!

Big news for “Tintin” fans today!  Paramount Pictures and Sony International announced their release plans for the first in a planned “Adventures of Tintin” trilogy – “The Secret of the Unicorn”.  The Steven Spielberg-directed feature will be released stateside in time for Christmas on December 23, 2011- about where you’d expect a big-budget Spielberg opus to land.

There’s more to this date than meets the eye, however.  “Tintin” will be released in most international markets a full two months ahead of its US debut – an unusual move to say the least.  But before you say “WTF?” and start cursing foreigners know this: even 80 years after his first comic-strip adventure, “Tintin” has a huge following in Europe.  The US does not come close to this level of “Tintin” devotion.  In fact, I can count on one hand all the people of my acquaintance that had even heard of “Tintin” before Spielberg and Peter Jackson decided to collaborate on this series.

There is one other big piece of “Tintin” news.  According to Variety, Paramount and Sony also announced that “The Secret of the Unicorn” will be released in 3D.  This has long been an option, due to the fantastical nature of the “Tintin” world, but the decision to go with the flashier format was not officially confirmed until today.

“Secret of the Unicorn” began production back in January with Jamie Bell in the title role, backed up by Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Andy Serkis.  Let us know what you think about this production – are you a “Tintin” fan?  Or is your sole interest in the film dependent on the participation of Spielberg and Jackson?