What's going on with the Tintin movies, and what was the original plan hatched by Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg? Debuting in 1929, The Adventures of Tintin was created by the Belgian author Hergé and has retained lasting popularity into the 21st century. Along with his faithful canine companion Snowy, Tintin treks across the globe as a crime-solving reporter, uncovering mysteries and foiling villains. Sometimes Tintin's escapades are serious, sometimes they're comedic, but all of them involve the title character unwittingly getting himself into considerable trouble.
Tintin's popularity was burgeoned by several animated series which faithfully adapted Hergé's source material and introduced the amateur detective and his friends to new generations, but the first big-budget attempt to take Tintin to the big screen came much later. Steven Spielberg had been eyeing a Tintin movie since the 1980s but didn't get the ball rolling until the 2000s after deciding to bring Hergé's world to life with CG. Following his work on The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson was brought on board and the directorial duo were joined by a star-studded team that included Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright. Premiering in 2011, The Adventures of Tintin was a box office success and received widespread praise, but a sequel has not been forthcoming.
Despite the lack of a follow-up, Spielberg and Jackson's original plan was for a trio of Tintin movies. The first installment covered The Secrets of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure, the second and third movies would be based around The Seven Crystal Balls and The Blue Lotus, while also incorporating elements from Hergé's other stories. Jackson and Spielberg had an agreement where the latter would direct the first Tintin movie, Jackson would take the second, and the pair would team up for the third. Cast and crew spoke openly about plans for more Tintin on the big screen, but the proposed dates kept sliding back. Kennedy and Spielberg suggested a 2015 release which soon passed, and Jamie Bell (Tintin himself) mooted an early 2018 premiere for the sequel, only to be proven wrong.
One of several big sticking points seems to be the script. As of 2018, Jackson confirmed that Tintin 2 was still on his to-do list but remained without script. In the meantime, Jackson worked on the Hobbit trilogy, They Shall Not Grow Old and Mortal Engines, not leaving himself much time to direct a photo-realistic, feature length Tintin animation. In a late 2018 interview (via Polygon), Jackson reiterated his intention to direct a Tintin sequel, but played down his progress, claiming there wasn't even a decision on which book he would be adapting. Tintin 2 was firmly back to square one. Jackson hoped to knuckle down on Tintin in 2019, but that year he announced and began working on a Beatles documentary, and nothing has been said regarding Hergé's Belgian reporter since.
Fortunately, there is a slither of hope that Tintin 2 could emerge sooner rather than later. Jackson's special effects company, Weta Digital, announced earlier this month that it would be branching out into its own studio called Weta Animated, producing features for theatrical and streaming release. Weta was heavily involved in the 2011 Tintin movie, and this increased specialization into animated movies could be a sign that Jackson is finally gearing up to work on a Tintin sequel. Clutching at straws? Perhaps, but at least there's a Tintin-shaped straw to clutch at for once.
Given how long Steven Spielberg took to make the original Tintin, the sequel's delay perhaps shouldn't be surprising. Add to that the detailed level of animation and and bevy of big names involved, and Tintin becomes a tricky customer to nail down, regardless of how highly regarded or financially successful the first movie might've been. With that said, Tintin is one of very few franchises where a lengthy gap between movies shouldn't matter. The characters and setting might carry over, but Tintin 2 will tell a completely fresh story, just like Hergé's comics. Tintin has also managed to fascinate adults and children alike for almost a century - that popularity will still exist even if Tintin 2 doesn't arrive until the character's 100th birthday in 2029.