Today's Variety reports that Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy are preparing to produce a live action Tintin feature film for Dreamworks and Universal Pictures.  Created by Herge (George Remi) in 1929, Tintin is one of the world's most popular comic book characters, whose colorful exploits have been translated into more than 50 languages.  The youthful reporter with the vertical forelock found adventure all over the world in Herge's exciting and humorous tales.  While he was working on his Indiana Jones films, Spielberg optioned the rights to Tintin, which he allowed to lapse in 1987.  Now Spielberg and his producing partner Kathleen Kennedy, who have already teamed for more than 30 films, are optioning the rights to the intrepid reporter once again.  No information about who might be employed to write, direct, or star in a live action Tintin feature is available at this time.  Given the peculiar charm of the world Herge created for Tintin (which was populated by a superb cast of eccentric characters including the perpetually irascible Captain Haddock, the inept, bumbling policemen Thomson and Thompson, the utterly daft Professor Calculus, and the Ur-dowager Madame Castafiore), it won't be easy to make a live action film that does justice to the Tintin universe.

 

If Spielberg does manage to produce a popular live action Tintin film, it could be a real boon to pop culture retailers because of the sales potential of the 24 Tintin comic albums themselves, which have never received the readership they deserve in the U.S., as well as the numerous books about Herge and Tintin.  Lots of Tintin licensed items, ranging from apparel to resin figures, toys, and prints are available in Europe, and the prospect of a major film would undoubtedly mean that much of the merchandise that exists in Europe would eventually make it here.  Tintin's adventures have already been the subject of several animation projects.  The Tintin animated TV series is available in the U.S. on VHS and in Europe on DVD as well.