Ever heard of something called Project Natal? If not, you will probably start being swarmed with news and updates about this invention for a while to come, if you’re at all into the world of gaming or technology. Recently at Microsoft’s E3 Expo, Legendary Hollywood mega-director/producer Steven Spielberg helped unveil a new motion-capture gaming technology known as Project Natal (pronounced “nuh-tall”).

The last time we reported on Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s 3D motion-capture project The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn back in March, Spielberg had just finished wrapping a 32 day shoot of motion-capture lensing. The project was then handed to Jackson who will be working with the film for the next 15 months or so with his New Zealand-based special effects company, Weta.

However, with Tintin looking to be a major release for combined backers Sony and Paramount, the studios have already set a release date. But there’s an interesting thing to note: Tintin will be released internationally over a month before it hits U.S. theaters!

The production of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s $120 million 3D motion capture project The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn has been fairly secretive. Although you’d think they’d be releasing everything they can about it since most American audiences have very little knowledge of the original character.

Well thanks to Variety we have an update on the project:

It was just over two weeks ago when it was announced that the infamous pairing of Nick Frost and Simon Pegg were cast as Thomson and Thompson in the upcoming Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg produced movie, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.

To round off the principal cast, it was officially announced today that Jamie Bell would be playing the title role of Tintin and joining him would be Daniel Craig who will play Red Rackham.

Although rumours have been abounding on the net about the upcoming Steven Spielberg directed and Peter Jackson produced Tintin, the guys over at AICN have managed to confirm via a “trusted source not at all involved in production” that one of those rumours is indeed true. That is that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are set to star as the characters Thomson and Thompson respectively. They will join already announced cast member Andy Serkis (who’s playing Tintin’s friend Captain Haddock).

There was news at one point of young Thomas Sangster playing the title role but he dropped out due to “scheduling conflicts” – although I can’t see what other movie he would rather do than one directed by Steven Spielberg, one of the most famous and most loved directors out there, and produced by Peter Jackson, the man behind Lord of the Rings, one of the most successful fantasy franchises of all time.

I never thought I’d live to see the day when Steven Spielberg, without question the most powerful and influential film director in showbiz, is told, “No thanks!”

According to the folks over at Radar Online, Paramount Pictures has opted out of co-producing Tintin, the mega-budget 3-D motion-capture adaptation of the popular European comics.

Ever since I was a kid Tintin has been one of my favorite graphic novels. I was lucky enough to make it over to the Animation Museum in Belgium last year, where Tintin and his creator, Hergé, are both considered to be national treasures.

Well, apparently I’m a man of good tastes, because if you haven’t heard, two Hollywood heavyweights are bringing my favorite cartoon reporter and his pals to the big screen. That’s right: Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are already working to bring Tintin fans the movie they’ve been waiting for, despite the WGA strike.

Looks like directors Stephen Spielberg and Peter Jackson have found their Tintin in young actor Thomas Sangster. He joins fan favorite Andy Serkis (Gollum, King Kong) as Captain Haddock. Now all they need is a Snowy the dog; I vote my dog, Peanut.

Of course, it won’t matter WHO plays the dog, since the movie will be CGI-motion capture, and will have a semi-realistic look. Spielberg and Jackson aren’t letting the writers strike, or the threatened actors strike stop them from their planned trilogy. (Though a September 2008 start date could get pushed back in an actors strike happens in July and it lasts a long time.)

The news of a photorealistic, CGI Tintin movie trilogy, to be directed by Stephen Spielberg, Peter Jackson and a third director to be named later (my guess, along with others, is Robert Zemeckis), isn’t new. But it’s still incredibly cool!

A writer has been named, who will likely end up writing all three films. Steven Moffat has the honor of putting pen to paper, so to speak, on this groundbreaking idea (c’mon, Spielberg and Jackson? Throw in Zemeckis, or even Lucas, and you have the granddaddy of all film trilogies!). Moffat has worked on Dr. Who, and has other credits in England.