Tintin Cast Revealed: Billy Elliot is Tintin; Daniel Craig is Red Rackham and More
Posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 by Brendon Connelly
So, the Tintin casting is out of the bag, as per the headline… and you simply won’t believe who wrote the screenplay: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. Wow. That’s amazing. For the first time since I was born, I’m really excited to see a film by Steven Spielberg. The author of the best ever Dr. Who, the best ever Shaun of the Dead and some quite good things where toys, like, reenact famous films, all of them collaborating on a film adaptation of a supposed Nazi sympathizer’s comic book. That doesn’t come along every day.
Wright is currently in Toronto prepping Scott Pilgrim, but he has written at least one other screenplay with Cornish - an adaptation of Marvel’s Ant Man comics.
Below the break, more new casting details including at least one big, big star.
It has been confirmed that this film will be based upon The Secret of the Unicorn as it’s called Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, but it seemingly also contains plot from Red Rackham’s Treasure. These are the eleventh and twelfth books in the full series but also the first two parts of a four book cycle that continued with The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun. The second film is scheduled to be directed by Peter Jackson - now that’s so exciting I could faint - and a third film… well, no director was ever posited for the third. Could they be thinking Edgar will do it? Could they? Wake me up so I can pass out again like the big silly fanboy y’all wish I was.
So, here are the actors and, where I know or can guees, the comic strip characters they’ll be playing. All actors are confirmed, but some of the roles are not.
As Tintin, Jamie Bell.
As Captain Haddock, Andy Serkis.
As the Thom(p)son Twins, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
As Red Rackham, Daniel Craig. That’s the big, big star.
As someone I can’t even hazard a guess at, Gad Elmaleh.
As Cuthbert Calculus (uncomfirmed role, but really), Toby Jones.
As someone I can’t hazard a guess at, Mackenzie Crook
Production started today. The film is to be performance captured and released stereo-optically in 2011 - a long wait, but at least there will be plenty of 3D screens ready to go by then. The next update I want on this one is that Jackson is picking up on Spielberg’s last day to get film number two in the bag straight away. Here’s hoping.
