Tintin!
By Tom Worger
A comic phenomenon dating back to the late 1920s, The Adventures of Tintin have entertained generations of children and adults. The brainchild of Belgium artist Hergé, Tintin and his friends have made their way around the world—through the wild west, the far east and even to the moon.
His popularity has spread just as far. Tintin’s adventures have spanned more than 20 comic books, two animated series, four animated films, two live action films, five plays and even two staged musicals. Now Tintin and his gang are gearing up for their latest incarnation, a trilogy of motion-capture films directed by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.
Filming of the first film will begin shortly with Spielberg in the director’s chair; Peter Jackson is set to direct the second; and, as of yet, no one has been named for the third. All three screenplays will be written by U.K. writer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, The Office).
Although the comics and animated series have been translated and popularized on every continent, it has also received a fair amount of criticism for its often colonial and sometimes racist portrayal of non-Europeans. What of the comics will be transferred into the new films is yet to be seen, but what is sure is that it will be met with a great deal of expectation.
Perhaps this will lead to similar projects. We’re hoping for a film based on The Adventures of Asterix.