Ubisoft, the French video game company, has announced a deal with Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg to produce video game tie-ins for The Secret of the Unicorn (and presumably, Red Rackham’s Treasure).

Despite being one of the top ten game companies in the world, Ubisoft are not known for their film related games. Though they do produce a number of franchise related games such as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Formula 1 racing games and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Probably their biggest, original title of recent years has been Assassin Creed, a free roaming adventure game in a rich graphical environment.

Film tie-ins do not generally make good games through there have been a few exceptions. It all depends on intent. Will the game makers just try cash-in and reproduce the movie or will they use the movie as a starting point but try to create something new? Hopefully they will do better than previous attempts at a Tintin video game.

Ubisoft Press release:

PARAMOUNT DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT AND UBISOFT® ANNOUNCE DEVELOPMENT OF “TINTIN” MOVIE VIDEO GAME


Ubisoft® Acquires License to Create Video Game for Groundbreaking Film Adaptation of Hergé’s Beloved Hero Tintin


SAN FRANCISCO – June 1, 2009 – Today Paramount Digital Entertainment and Ubisoft announced the development of a video game based on the upcoming film “Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.” The video game is expected to launch simultaneously with the highly anticipated film adaptation of one of the world’s most well-known and beloved literary series. “Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” will be released in the U.S. on December 23, 2011 and internationally in late October and early November 2011.


The film, distributed by Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment, utilizes state-of-the-art, next-generation performance capture. Ubisoft’s Montpellier studio will work with director and producer Steven Spielberg, producers Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy, to develop a unique and thrilling game that is closely tied to the upcoming motion picture.

“We look forward to working with Ubisoft and the filmmakers to create exciting new interactive adventures for Tintin,” said Thomas Lesinski, President, Paramount Digital Entertainment. “The upcoming video game will reintroduce Tintin to a whole new generation of gamers.”

“We’re incredibly excited to have the opportunity to work on the Tintin game,” said Christian Salomon, Vice President of Worldwide Licensing at Ubisoft. “We’re honored to bring one of the world’s most iconic comic characters to life in this new title.”

It is being reported that the Tintin movie, Secret of the Unicorn will be released in the US on December 23rd 2011. However in will be released in Europe two months earlier in October or early November 2011. This makes sense as Tintin is already much larger in Europe than the states. The (hopefully) large audiences in Europe will help generate a wave of hype for Tintin in the US and help overcome US hostility to a very European hero.

Source: “Tintin” Set For Xmas 2011 Release

The 20th Anniversary edition of Empire Magazine is out and it has been guest edited by Steven Spielberg. Most importantly, pages 20 - 25 are dedicated to Tintin. After a quick read, here are the highlights:

• The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn will cover parts of the Crab withe Golden Claw and Secret of the Unicorn.
• Red Rackham’s Treasure will be the second film …
• … and is currently in pre-production and has financing.
• A third film is not planned at the moment
• An additional week’s shooting will happen in New Zealand in June
• In the original 20 minute test reel, Jackson played all the parts
• The film will “have this film noir kind of look. Something very atmospheric” - Spielberg

A rumour that Edgar Wright (co-writer of the Tintin script, director of Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim) will direct the third Tintin movie has been running around the net of the last few hours. Slashfilm cut to the chase and asked Edgar on the record about. His response was “Not that I know of. But hey, rumors are fun”.

The rumour appears to have started on IMBD and is most certainly rubbish, not least because Edgar doesn’t know about it. Another reason is that a second film has not been confirmed, let alone a third one. The financial backers of Spielberg and Jackson want to see how well the first one does before they commit to any thing else.

The first on-set photos of the Tintin filming have been released by Empire Magazine

The photo shows Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis in motion capture suits talking to Steven Spielberg. In the background can be seen images from the books, particularly Thompson & Thomson, stuck on the the walls.

The picture comes from Empire Magazie’s 20th anniversary issue which has a special guest editor, Steven Spielberg. More photos are promised when the magazine comes out.

TintinMovie.org is now on Twitter. Follow us and get breaking news and Tintin titbits faster than Captain Haddock can drink whisky. If you don’t know what Twitter is or how to join, simply go here. It is fast, simple and a lot of fun.

Jamie Bell - Star of Billy Elliot, King Kong, Hallam Foe, Jumper and Defiance - has been cast as Tintin.

Also cast is Daniel Craig - The current James Bond and star of Defiance - who is playing the pirate Red Rackham.

The film will be called: The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

Also announced were the screen writing credits: Stephen Moffat, writer of Dr Who and so much more. Plus Edgar Wright, co-writer and director of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead which starred Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who are playing Thompson and Thomson. Joe Cornish, know to Brits as one-half of Adam & Joe, also gets a screenwriting credit.

Production starts today on the 3D motion capture. Release is scheduled for 2011.

Its not clear is the film will only tell the story of the book Secret of the Unicorn or whether it will combine both Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure. The press release say that “The second feature in the series is scheduled to be directed by Jackson, with a potential for a third film as well.”

Other names mentioned in the cast but the parts are not identified are Gad Elmaleh (lots of French language films), Toby Jones (voice of Dobby the House Elf in the Harry Potter films) and Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean and The Office).

Paramount Pictures will release the film in the US and in all English speaking territories and Asia, excluding India. Sony Pictures Releasing International will distribute the film in Continental Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, India and the remainder of the world.

Full press release here.

Credit to Marketsaw who were first to break the news.

Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg’s long-time producer, has confirmed that shooting will start in February and that it will be a trilogy. Spielberg will still direct the first and Jackson the second. The third film will be directed by either Spielberg or Jackson but no time frame has been given for the second or third films.

This is great news after the productions recent financial problems and suggestions that only two films were to be made.

Yes, the locations for the Tintin Movie have been revealed!

But it is not the Spielberg / Jackson CGI movie but the original live action film, Tintin and the Blue Oranages. Dedicated Tintin fan Carsten has found many of the locations in the film and photographed them for a then and now comparison.

(Original Tintinoligist post)

Show Me The Money

After several weeks of uncertainty it seems the Spielberg and Jackson have found financing from a joint venture between Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures. Paramount will be handling the films in the English speaking world whilst Sony deals with what some American web sites refer to as the “foreign” distribution. Given that Tintin is a Belgium comic, written in French and translated into 30+ languages, I think Sony gets the better part of the deal.

Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd

The Sony/ Paramount deal has raised some questions. Initial reports from the New York Time suggested that the deal only included two films, not the planned trilogy. There has been no official announcement and the reporter behind the NYT story has a reputation of inaccuracy according to some movie blogs. A two film deal makes sense as the idea that the third film would be jointly directed by Jackson and Spielberg always seemed odd.

However most informed coverage of this story insists it will be three films and three films makes sense. A lot of the cost of these films is in the license and the set up for the special effects. Spreading these costs across three films makes financial sense.

Will The Real Tintin Please Stand Up

Though never officially announced as Tintin, Thomas Sangster appears to have pulled out of the project. It seems that the films new shooting schedule falling back to 2009 / 2010, means that Thomas can no longer fit it in.