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I just heard that Universal has declined to exercise an option to co-finance DreamWorks’ Tintin with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson set to begin filming in October. The decision was quietly made a few weeks ago. 
So now DreamWorks will look only to owner Paramount for the rest of the moolah in the same way the two shared financing on Dreamgirls and Transformers. Unfortunately, Paramount is presently without an overall financing deal to mitigate risk, but is arranging it on a film-by-film basis. I say Tintin — to be played by Love Actually‘s Thomas Sangster — sounds like an expensive but safe bet, considering that the beloved Belgian boy is a worldwide phenomenon, and that the two great filmmakers are directing and producing even though also participating as huge first-dollar-gross players. This latest wrinkle would be more interesting if, say, Uni’s decision hurt its about-to-become-closer relationship with DreamWorks. But it didn’t. As I already reported, GE’s Jeff Immelt and Uni’s Ron Meyer dined with Spielberg and Stacey Snider Thursday night while NBC Uni’s Jeff Zucker spent the better part of that afternoon with Steven planning out the rebuild of the fire-ravaged backlot.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Universal must be out of their blooming minds. First they pass on HALO which would have been huge (wether they knew it or not) and now this. I guess Death Race and Baby Mama are more their speed as of late.
By the way TIN TIN is not live action. It’s mo-cap.
Maybe if Spielberg and Jackson didn’t demand about 50% each of the profits then maybe someone would cough up the money. But if those two are going to take every dime that comes into the box office, why would anyone bother investing in it?
Uni made a smart choice.
I love the Tin-Tin books but it’s an international release with no big domestic upside while giving the above the liners the lion’s share.
Pasadena.
It’s a terrible idea and a waste of both their time and considerable talents. I hope the project falls apart, and quickly, but I mean that in the nicest way possible.
If Spielberg REALLY wants it made that bad, he’s a multibillionaire, Jackson’s a hundred millionaire. Boom. Problem solved.
I suggest Daniel Craig as Tintin.
Seriously, the comic book is so dated and there are some of aspects of it that are still discussed here in Old Europe (read TINTIN IN THE CONGO…)
Good luck.
Chromey,
Everyone passed on HALO. It was a ridiculously expensive project with an unproven first-time director.
And whether you liked BABY MAMA or not, it was a hit.
They made the right call in both cases.
You hit the nail on the head Crystal – Spielberg & Jackson should either accept a more reasonable deal or finance it and take the risk themselves.
The Peter Jackson produced HALO movie was doomed from the start.
It started with the ludicrous publicity stunt having the script delieverd to studios and agents by people dressed head to foot in futuristic armour in the sweltering Californian heat. And then having them sit patiently in reception while the script in question was read.
Then factor in trying to mount a $120m + production with a first time director, Microsoft’s ludicrous contract demands and the studios arguing over development costs.
A waste of time for all concerned.
TINTIN is crapcrap and dead in the water.
How many American kids do you think are going to see some antiquated European cartoon (sorry, Chromey — “mo-cap”) about a young Belgian investigative reporter? Yeah, that’s gonna go over real well in the heartland.
As others have said, if Spielberg and Jackson are so hot for this, let them finance it themselves. They’re personal pocketbooks are fundamentally sound, unlike GE/NBC/Uni stock.
My suggestion — bring back the original “Tintin.”
RIN TIN TIN.
Good decision by Universal. Tin Tin = bust bust. It would make Speed Racer grosses look enormous.
Sound like a stinker but if exectuted well with a good writer it could be a lucrative franchise. Especially in EU.
I’m 33 years old and have little knowledge of Tin Tin, I know what he looks like but that’s about it. I have no desire to see this and I can not understand what they are thinking bringing this to the screen other than a personal wish. Did they not see what happened with Speed Racer?
“tin tin is crap crap”? “Go over real well in the heartland”?
Really, it’s morons like this that get offensive swill like “Swing Vote” and Larry the Cable Guy vehicles made. A mixture of elitism disguised as marketing savvy, a lack of depth of opinion disguised as jaded cynicism, and a rock solid, unshakable belief in their own intelligence that could not be more misplaced.
It might be good for the site owners’ pocketbook, but Drudge has to stop linking here. It brings a really dumb crowd that seems to hang around past their welcome.
Why would anyone want to make a Tintin movie? Let alone a trilogy? Even in Europe his ‘adventures’ weren’t that popular. Smart move on Universal’s part.
If a movie based on a fifty year old Belgian comic character is the best two of the world’s greatest directors have to offer, then the business truly is in trouble!
Look at the Jackson and Spielberg photos. Those grins can only come from knowing that your bank account is thick enough to single-handedly solve the world’s hunger crisis with the impatient snap of the fingers.
My bank account has dwindled to such depths that I’m working to finance a Tuesday toonie special at KFC today.
Oh, I pray to the Movie Gods (the other ones), when will you release a movie worth seeing? I humbly beseech you Great Ones, release no more vanity projects or “wouldn’t it be interesting if…nah…well…maybe this would be worth doing” type films.
I agree. Spielberg should put up or shut up. Say what you will about Lucas, but he financed the last five Star Wars films himself. Maybe better blockbusters would be made if the filmmakers had their own money in their movies.
ASSorted, your elitist view is staggering. You think just because you’re in Hollywood, that you’re smart? And that everyone else in America is a stupid cousin-fucking hillbilly? Hate to break it to you but just because someone has an opinion that’s different to yours doesn’t mean they’re stupid cousin-fucking hillbillies or that they don’t also work in the same business as you. It may just mean that you’re wrong. I’m sure there’s a first time for that, right? Or maybe you’re God and thus you’re perfect and never wrong.
Mamma Mia has proven that domestic box-office isn’t necessarily the be-all and end-all. Over $400 million world-wide? The Golden Compass; crap at the domestic box-office but around $350 million world wide.
Tintin would be in the same realm as these two, if the costs are kept to a reasonable amount. And yes, on the costs of involving Speilberg and Jackson, I agree with everyone. They escalate the costs beyond the belief of a reasonable return on investment.
live action tin-tin could never work.
you need to make it in awesome 3D.
surprising that speilberg turned harry potter down because he wanted warner bros. to make it as 3D animation…..but he wants tin-tin to be live action.
Assorted–
You do certainly seem to be rather elitist.
The poster you attacked was simply stating his opinion– one that I certainly agree with.
I must admit that while I have only a very vague understanding of the character “Tintin”, my first thought was that this seems like an even worse idea than Speed Racer with a far smaller awareness factor.
Who is the audience for this? It’s a kid’s movie that seems hard to sell to kids and fans of the original series would mostly be 50+. You can’t really litter it with pop culture references for cheap laughs like Shrek and sticking to the source material makes it too dated to appeal to kids. This was a project for Walt Disney in the late 1950′s not Spielberg or Jackson.
Assorted said:
“A mixture of elitism disguised as marketing savvy, a lack of depth of opinion disguised as jaded cynicism, and a rock solid, unshakable belief in their own intelligence that could not be more misplaced.”
Way to call the kettle black, Mr. Pot. Maybe YOU’RE part of the crowd that’s hanging around past its welcome.
If and when TINTIN gets made, I’ll be standing by to read your feeble commentary about its box office demise.
Oh, yeah — and have fun tonight at the Greystone Estate chowing down with Obama. I’ll be at home in “Fontucky” skarfing fishsticks and french fries…and reading the dreaded Drudge Report.
Cheers,
Lee Duncan
“Who is the audience for this? It’s a kid’s movie that seems hard to sell to kids and fans of the original series would mostly be 50+.”
The same people that “Alvin & The Chipmunks” ($217m domestic) was made for?
I’m 24 years old and I’m quite aware of the series. Not just because of the comic books, but it also ran as a cartoon series on Nickelodeon (probably re-dubbed) when I was a child. Notably when I’ve been in Europe I’ve seen Tin-Tin in all sorts of shops and I’ve never been to Belgium.
Also while “Live-Action” this will be motion capture making it more similar to Beowulf and the possibility of your 3-D dreams a reality abhishek.
Tintin is the most popular and best known cartoon character in the world. In the US very few people know the books. But it could be a huge hit in the rest of the world.
I am the biggest Tintin fan EVER (and no – I am not 50. But my parents were from Europe so they bought all the kids in the family the books and I adore them -Asterix as well). As as a HUGE FAN – I think this is a terrible idea. I doubt I will see it. I do not like what motion capture looks like (the kids in Polar Express were creeeeeeeepy) and some things should be left alone. Many books cannot be made in to films and this is one comic (actually they are more like graphic novels) that should just stay on the page.