Steven Spielberg has consistently delivered excellent work throughout his storied career, but with a resume that includes all-time classics like Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan, and more, some of his strongest films went overlooked and have become underrated. One such project that fits this description is The Adventures of Tintin, Spielberg’s 2011 adaptation of Hergé’s Tintin comic book series. The film drew inspiration from only three of the 24 comic albums Hergé published, meaning there was plenty of source material leftover to cover in sequels. There’s been talk of an Adventures of Tintin follow-up for years, though nothing has come to fruition yet. It’d be understandable if fans had given up hope, but Andy Serkis has an encouraging update.
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Speaking with Collider, Serkis, who portrayed Captain Haddock in The Adventures of Tintin, addressed the possibility of a sequel. “Oh gosh, I wish! I really hope so. I love that Tintin film,” he said. “I loved the process of making that film with such great filmmakers. I think Peter [Jackson] really, really wants to make it, so hopefully down the line.”
Will The Adventures of Tintin Sequel Ever Happen?
Dating back to the early 2010s, when word of a Tintin sequel first popped up, the plan has always been for Peter Jackson (who produced the first film) to direct the sequel, trading places with Spielberg behind the scenes. Serkis’ latest update is brief, but it’s nevertheless encouraging to hear that Jackson is still interested in making Tintin 2. As fans continue to wait for something more concrete, this will hopefully give them reason to be optimistic about its chances. Serkis easily could have said that too much time has passed and the project has been scrapped, but he too remains game for a follow-up.
Still, it’s now been 15 years since the release of The Adventures of Tintin, so it’s worth wondering if the sequel will indeed ever see the light of day. Whether or not the film ever happens might depend on Jackson and Spielberg’s respective schedules. Both filmmakers are always keeping themselves busy, and they never have any shortage of projects going on at any given time. For instance, right now, Spielberg is handing post-production on his new sci-fi film Disclosure Day and Jackson is producing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (which is directed by Serkis and starts shooting this year). They could very well turn their attention back to Tintin once they’ve completed work on those films, but history has shown both Spielberg and Jackson always have something else on the horizon, so there’s no guarantee Tintin 2 is high on the priority list.
Even if Spielberg and Jackson eventually reunite and iron out a Tintin sequel script, they’ll still need the cooperation of the studios. Spielberg has the film rights to the property, but the first film was co-financed by Columbia Pictures and Paramount (which handled distribution). Obviously, the Oscar winners Spielberg and Jackson have a tremendous amount of clout in the industry, but studio executives will likely have final say on this front. If the filmmakers can’t acquire the necessary funding, the film can’t happen. A lot has changed in the studio landscape since the first Tintin film was released; Paramount is now under new leadership, which may not consider a sequel a priority.
It would be a shame if The Adventures of Tintin ended up being a one-off. The film is a prime example of Spielberg in his classic blockbuster mode; it’s a highly entertaining adventure film full of thrilling set pieces and memorable performances (all set to yet another awards-worthy score from John Williams). The Adventures of Tintin was also a technical marvel, making great use of motion capture and computer animation to bring the stylized world of the comics to life in a faithful way. Moviemaking technology has obviously evolved in the years since, so it would be a great to see what Jackson and Co. could do with modern tools. Hopefully, he will get the chance one day.
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