Steven Spielberg Still Batting Leadoff On TINTIN Trilogy!

Beaks here... Good ol' Herge Studios caused a little confusion today when a spokesperson announced that Peter Jackson would be taking over the reins on the first TINTIN movie. "Not true!", bellows The Hollywood Reporter. Steven Spielberg is still in place to direct the initial installment of the trilogy. So there. In case you missed the news the first time around, Spielberg's entry will be written by Steven Moffat (who's won three Hugo Awards for his work on the new DOCTOR WHO); he'll be combining the narratives of "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure". Since TINTIN wasn't exactly required reading in the U.S. when I was growing up, I have no idea if that's a good thing. The Reporter item doesn't mention a start date for the all motion-capture production, but it does remind us that Thomas Sangster and Andy Serkis are still cast as, respectively, Tintin and Captain Haddock. Jackson, who's currently finishing up THE LOVELY BONES (coming to a theater near you, October 9, 2009), will direct the second movie.