Steven Spielberg remains one of the most prolific working filmmakers, but he’s one of the most indecisive. Spielberg has attached himself to countless projects throughout his career that he never ended up pursuing. Remember Robopocalypse? Blackhawk? The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara? The George Gershwin biopic that would’ve starred Zachary Quinto? Wise fans have learned to get excited about a new Spielberg film, but only once it's already begun shooting.
Spielberg had promised the next big franchise with his adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin. Based on the beloved comic strip character created by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé, the motion-capture animated film was released nearly ten years ago. Spielberg collaborated to create the film’s groundbreaking animation with producer Peter Jackson. Both Spielberg and Jackson reiterated their interests in subsequent press, but a decade later we’re no closer to a Tintin franchise.
The first film’s development was already a process that spanned three decades. Spielberg had been unaware of the character’s existence until he made the press rounds for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and European critics informed him of the similarities. An action-packed series of adventures with exotic locations, eccentric villains, and a quirky sense of humor, Tintin felt like a younger cousin to Indiana Jones. Spielberg quickly became a fan, and became interested in developing a film version.
Hergé himself had always been skeptical of a Tintin film. He’d hated the previous live-action interpretations and cartoon series, but a meeting with Spielberg intrigued him. After hearing that the famed director had profused his fandom, Herge gave Spielberg his blessing. Reportedly stating that “Spielberg was the only person who could ever do Tintin justice," he was energized to meet in person. Herge tragically passed away the same week he was scheduled to meet Spielberg; the rights were granted to Spielberg by Herge’s widow Fanny Remi.
Universal Pictures was all on board to put together a new Spielberg adventure movie in the wake of Indiana Jones, and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial screenwriter Melissa Mathison began developing a planned version that would’ve cast Jack Nicholson as Tintin’s sidekick Captain Haddock. Spielberg tinkered with the script throughout the completion of the Indiana Jones trilogy, and reasserted his commitment after Roman Polanski attempted to nab the rights. He faced the same dilemma throughout the project’s evolution. Would it be live-action or animated?
Decades passed, and by the early 21st Century Spielberg had essentially abandoned any inclination towards zippy adventures, helming darker material like A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, Munich, and War of the Worlds. It wasn’t until he got a call from Jackson, a lifelong Tintin fanatic, that Spielberg considered beginning work on the film once more. Jackson had innovated with motion-capture technology with Gollum and King Kong, and was convinced that it was the best way to approach Herge’s material. Jackson was so enthused about the prospect that he sent Spielberg an early test reel where he stepped into the role of Haddock himself.
Spielberg’s longtime friend Robert Zemeckis had been experimenting with motion capture animation, and he liked the idea of having physical sets and actors to interact with. Both Spielberg and Jackson were fascinated by the potential of 3-D. Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis landed the two lead roles with a script from Attack the Block’s Joe Cornish. It came at a critical point in both Spielberg and Jacksons’ careers. Jackson was coming off of the failure of The Lovely Bones, and Spielberg himself had expressed dissatisfaction with the route that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull took. Neither filmmaker needed “redemption,” but another tentpole adventure franchise would give them both a chance to rebound.
In one of the most baffling release strategies in recent memory, The Adventures of Tintin opened within days of another Spielberg film, War Horse. The film’s seemingly targeted similar family audiences during a packed Christmas Day release slate. Tintin ended up with a respectable $375 million worldwide, but it came with a $135 million budget, massive marketing campaign, and years of development into the groundbreaking animation. Tintin was also shockingly shut out of the Best Animated Feature category at the 2012 Academy Awards, the same year War Horse became a top Best Picture contender and John Williams earned nominations for both scores.
Tintin wasn’t necessarily a disappointment, and it had been announced from the beginning that Jackson would direct the sequel The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun as soon as he completed The Hobbit trilogy. A third film was also planned. Announcements were rolling in, and Alex Rider creator Anthony Horowitz enthusiastically revealed that the next film would feature one of Tintin’s most iconic antagonists, Professor Calculus.
Yet, the targeted date continued to slip by. Jackson was beleaguered by his arduous Hobbit experience, and Spielberg continued to find new projects. With no official date ever set, Horowitz’s script was later scrapped and Jackson began exploring his documentary interests. The most recent update came in 2018, when Spielberg remained adamant that the sequel would happen with Jackson at the helm. “Peter will stick with it,” he promised. “Tintin is not dead!”
Three years later and the sequel still hangs in limbo, but there may be an upcoming window of opportunity. Spielberg is working on his semi-autobiographical coming-of-age film The Falbesmans, but he continues to produce new installments in the Indiana Jones, Transformers, and Jurassic World franchises. Jackson hasn’t set a new project after this fall’s The Beatles: Get Back. Theoretically, Tintin could be the next endeavor for both. The question remains the same--are they actually interested in making it a reality?
Hopefully, they will. The Adventures of Tintin is a blast, and the old-fashioned thrill ride is astounding with its amazing setpieces and technical innovation. Bell and Serkis have terrific chemistry, and the film doesn’t attempt to complicate two characters that have more charisma than actual depth. Herge’s expansive mythology is packed with fun adventures ripe for the big screen, and they deserve to see the light of day under this pair.