Daniel Craig signs on to star in Spielberg-produced `Tintin` movie

Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment issued a press release today 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 - reports Rope of Silicon.

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

Perhaps the more interesting part of the story for the fanboys that seem to be gushing over this picture is that 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 Jackson, with a potential for a third film as well. Any assumptions that Edgar Wright may be in line for that one?

Eighty years ago, 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.

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