Peter Jackson Updates 'Tintin'

Peter Jackson spoke with BBC about "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" while promoting the premiere of his new film, "The Lovely Bones." He told them that the movie is done and cut together, it'll just take a very long time to render it. About two years, in fact.

"'Tintin' is great. It's made. The movie is cut together and now [we] are turning it into a fully-rendered film. So the movie, to some degree, exists in a very rough state," Jackson said.

As reported previously, Steven Spielberg spent 30 days directing "The Adventures of Tintin" back in March and then handed over the reigns to Peter Jackson, who will now be working on it for two more years (probably at his New Zealand-based effects house Weta Digital).

"Tintin" was long ago revealed to have a release date of December 23, 2011. Two years sounds about right for it being on course to be released when planned. However, a full 24 months being devoted to adding the necessary computer animation is a lot.

Are you surprised "Tintin"’s computer animation is set to take so long or does it sound about right to you?

"The Adventures of Tintin: The Secrets of the Unicorn" is set to hit theaters in late October/early November internationally, and on Dec. 23 in the U.S., both in 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing

Stuntman Talks 'Iron Man 2,' 'Tintin,' 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Avatar'

Garrett Warren was recently crowned the 2009 Stunt Choreographer of the Year at the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards, and he sat down for an exclusive interview with Movieline to describe what it’s like working on films like "Tintin," "Alice In Wonderland," James Cameron’s "Avatar," and being Mickey Rourke's lead stunt double in "Iron Man 2."

“'Iron Man 2' had a double-whip sequence, and I am a whip specialist. There’s not very many of us in Hollywood that do double-whips… double-whip basically means that you have two whips in your hands…I don’t know if I’m at liberty to say what the whips will look like, but they’re going to be these super whips that have an awful lot of power. They can cut through cars, they can do an awful lot of damage…you’ll see that he doesn’t do just whip-cracks and grabbing people. He lays waste to an awful lot of vehicles and street pieces and other things…

…And when it comes to the whip routine, I have to admit, Mickey Rourke did a really good job with the whips. However, the suit was very painful at times. It was this big metal piece that wasn’t very comfortable, so he didn’t always want to do the whip routines every take. So I’d go in and do the whip routines…

…[the suit] covers the whole body in metal rods, but you are shirtless [underneath]. That was the part that was hard. When you move, it was metal digging into skin, cutting your shoulders, wrists and back and so forth.”
Warren also described the look of "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" and how how amazing the digital effects are.

"We did a test for it two years before we shot it, and when we did the test it was fun and interesting. But oh my gosh — when we finally saw the movie, it was amazing. The stuff that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson came up with, the performances of Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell, Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis — oh my goodness. You cannot imagine what those guys can do to words on a page. It’s one of the better movies that people are going to see, especially when it comes to being an animated movie

...It looks an awful lot like the cartoon. They really wanted to bring the cartoon to life. So if you know the cartoon, or have seen the books, that’s what it looks like. It’s beautiful. You would have thought to yourself that they would have tried to go for a more realistic look, but they’re actually trying to preserve the look and essence of the original Tintin characters."

He also described what stunts actors might do and used Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" and Johnny Depp as examples.

"...you get to a movie like 'Alice in Wonderland,' and Johnny Depp says, 'I only really want to do the stunts that are necessary for me. Anything that you don’t need to see me in, I prefer to let the stunt double do it.' Those are the kinds of stunts — where you’ll be falling down some stairs, or falling off a chair — that while they might not seem like big stunts, they hurt your actor. And that sets you back production-wise. It’s always good to see someone who is professional who thinks ahead and realizes that it’s not a big deal to see someone fall on the ground."
And finally, Warren described what it was like to work with James Cameron on "Avatar."

"'Avatar' was one of the most uplifting, educational, incredible experiences I’ve ever had as a movie maker. Jim Cameron is truly a genius. Aside from him being a genius, he’s also a storyteller that you cannot deny — one of the greatest you’re going to find out there. And he takes the time with the actors, too. He doesn’t rush them at all. And he really cares about what they have to say, how they’re going to perform it, and he gives them the time to work it out before they even do the scene. I was truly impressed by him and the movie. The marriage of green screen, live action, and motion capture was truly one of the most painstaking efforts I’ve ever had to do when it comes to a motion capture, but in the long run, I think it paid off. You’ll see some of the most realistic motion capture, if not the most realistic, the movie industry has ever seen."

He does say a lot of good things about these films (but he probably get paid a lot for what he does).

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: MTV News, Screen Rant, Movieline

Peter Jackson Reveals Plans For 'Tintin' Sequel

"The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn" is based on the comic strip with a global fanbase, and chronicles boy journalist Tintin's globe-trotting adventures. Peter Jackson is serving as producer on the first film, with Steven Spielberg as director. The pair will reverse the roles for the sequel, and Jackson shared some details about where they're at with the current film and what fans can expect to see in the follow-up.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Who's interested in this "Tintin" movie and likes Jackson's story choices? I'll confess to not knowing much about the character, so I'd love to hear from readers who do!

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News

Tintin Delayed for USA

Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment have finally announced their release plans for Steven Spielberg’s 3D performance capture adaptation of "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn." The film will be released internationally in late October and early November, 2011, more than a month before the film is released stateside by Paramount on December 23, 2011.

The early international release makes sense as the property is a lot more popular overseas. The reception from European audiences and critics will be a nice transition for American audiences who aren’t as familiar with the character.

Starring Jamie Bell ("Billy Elliot") as Tintin, the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure, and Daniel Craig ("Quantum of Solace") as the nefarious Red Rackham, the international cast also includes Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook.

"The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn," is a Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures production from a screenplay by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, and is produced by Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy.

The film is the first of a planned series of 3D performance capture movies based on the character. Peter Jackson is scheduled to direct the second film, and a third film has been announced, but no director is yet attached.

Eighty years ago, Georges Remi, better known to the world by his pen name "Herge," introduced the world to a unique cast of characters who have been embraced by readers of all ages. The Adventures of Tintin - a series of 24 books, the final unfinished adventure was published after Herge's death, became Herge's life's work. The first adventure was published in 1929. Over 200 million copies have been sold worldwide. The popular series has been translated into 70 languages and still attracts thousands of new fans each year. Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson will bring Herge's stories to life employing state-of-the-art performance capture technology developed by Jackson's Weta Digital.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Latino Review, Slash Film

Tintin Already Working on Sequels

Peter Jackson ("Lord of the Rings") and Steven Spielberg ("Indiana Jones," "Jaws," "E.T.") are teaming up to bring "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn" to life, but there is a lot of mystery surrounding the project and how it is being made. The film will be animated and starts the voices of Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg and Jamie Bell and there is already word on sequels to the first film to make a complete trilogy.

According to First Showing, "We know that they finished shooting 'The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn' and are working on post-production, but apparently they're already in pre-production on the second one.

Jackson reveals, 'We were originally planning three to be in production at the same time in different stages, and we may well do that. At the moment we have this one and the studio[s] is financing the second one as well, which is in pre-production.' The studios he's talking about are Paramount and Sony, who have together decided to co-finance the film, but the last we heard, they hadn't given the second one a greenlight. They shot for 32 days earlier this year for 'Secret of the Unicorn', but a week of reshoots will take place in June, at Jackson's studios, 'so that any holes in Spielberg's original material might be patched.'"

So expect to hear more news on how they are making more Tintin films already.

The first film is due out sometime in 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Spielberg and Jackson on Tintin

According to Variety, "Steven Spielberg this week will quietly wrap 32 days of performance-capture lensing on 'Tintin,' then hand the project to producer Peter Jackson, who will focus on the film's special effects for the next 18 months.

Spielberg and Jackson's respective camps have tried to keep a lid on the details of what is expected to become a three-film franchise while hyping the one-of-a-kind aspects of 'Tintin's' motion-capture technology, which is being created by Jackson's New Zealand-based effects house Weta.

Spielberg will receive sole directing credit on the first film, though even that distinction seems murky given that Jackson is doing the more time-consuming work, spending a year and a half creating the Tintin's world vs. Spielberg's one month on set. Jackson also traveled to Los Angeles for rehearsals and for the first week of shooting.

The conventional wisdom has always been that Spielberg would direct his 'Tintin' film, and Jackson would have his own. (It has long been reported that Jackson will helm the second chapter of three 'Tintin' films.) There was even speculation that the two films would be shot back to back, much like Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings.' However, there is no second film in the immediate future or even a script for one at this point."

Apparently this is a big budget film hovering around $120 million. That is a lot of money and the voice cast doesn't have any big name actors besides Daniel Craig and Simon Pegg.

Another problem is that not a lot of people outside of Europe know "Tintin."
The Tintin comicbook series about a globetrotting teenaged boy reporter, which originated 80 years ago in Belgium, is wildly popular in many countries around the world. In the U.S., however, the character is little-known, especially among children.
So they are going to have to do an amazing marketing job.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Tintin

According to Rope of Silicon, "Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment issued a press release announcing the start of principal production in Los Angeles on the 3D Motion Capture Film The Adventures of 'Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn' which will be directed by Steven Spielberg and will star Jamie Bell as Tintin, the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure, and Daniel Craig as the nefarious Red Rackham.

Bell and Craig are joined by an international cast that includes Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook.

The film was written by Steven Moffat (”Doctor Who”), Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead") and Joe Cornish penned the screenplay.

This film will be the first in a series of 3D motion capture films based on the iconic character created by Georges Remi, better known to the world by his pen name “Herge” and is due for release in 2011. The second feature in the series is scheduled to be directed by Peter Jackson, with a potential for a third film as well."

Not going to say I know much about "Tintin." I know the character is not from America (I believe it is Belgian) and I know he has been around for a long time (about 80 years). That is the limit to my knowledge, but lots of people seem excited for this film. I better jump on the ball to learn more about these classic stories.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!