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Spielberg to Produce Live-Action Tintin Movie (s)
jtauber writes "Looks like the Adventures of Tintin may be the next series of books to be turned into a film franchise with Spielberg in talks to acquire the rights. See the Marlinspike for more information." Tintin was one of my favorite "book" type comics growing up - and they've released collections.
You can't! No! They're sacred, damn it!
... Please...?
Adaptations of Asterix have been bad enough, especially those dreadful live-action ones with Depardieu...
I grew up on French comics, which I guess is some excuse, but... You just -can't- live action adapt Tintin. It'll be awful! Or at least, if they have to, in the name of all that is Holy -please- adapt them as cartoons...
Tintin is a classic series. Many people, myself included, view it with a romantic eye as a classic. I wasn't pleased when they made Asterix films, and I feel the same way for Tintin. Have they totally ran out of ideas??
Speilberg is going to produce some stupid action film that glosses over all the subelties and ruins Tintin for the next generation.
Man I sound old.
"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
The subject of this thread is the exact reason why Spielberg shouldnt do this film.
Not only do the youth culture of today (and lets face it, its the kids buying tickets that make the box-office money) have no idea who Cuthbert Calculus is, let alone Tintin,there is no way that Spielberg even at his best could make it appealing to the masses without totally destroying what the comic series was, and in the process annoying all the real fans. The Tintin style of story is not the Hollywood style of story, and neither are the characters. No-one (except perhaps the youngest of children) could find the bumbling antics of Thompson and Thomson actually funny when played by actors in a real live setting.
The comic format was just too integral to what made Tintin fun, as was Herge's talent and attention to detail, which Spielberg and Hollywood may have no patience for.
Do not meddle in the affairs of SysAdmins, for they are subtle and quick to anger.
Nobody could say that with a straight face.. so Capt. Haddock can't be cast. Relax, man :)
The adventures of Tintin established the visual language now standard in comic strips and books: word and thought balloons, moving to the right to signify 'progress' and the left to signify failure, etc.
See Scott McCloud's history of comics for further praise.
What Spielberg will do to it, I have no idea. It is cited by him as an influence on Raiders.
Design for Use, not Construction!
Not all cartoons are supposed to be funny. Tintin has plenty of humor, but its woven into a larger narrative. He's the world-famous Tintin, reporter. He has wild adventures that take him around the world (and to the moon), solving crimes and foiling plots. For someone who wants to sound like they understand Tintin, you sure missed the boat.
Spielberg makes airy fluff with lots of pretty things, let's not confuse this with art. Schindler's List is the pinnacle of his work, and for that his greatest decision was to follow the book almost to the letter (except for that excrable last scene in which survivors place stones on Schindler's grave). I will say that Saving provate Ryan was one of the most amazingly technically proficient films I have ever seen, with some incredible stunts, but that's melodrama, not good directing.
I am a believer of momentum and curves.
I hope they don't change the story of the comics too much... If you only knew how much effort and research Herge, the creator of Tin-Tin, put in to his comics. For instance, in the episode "On a Marche sur la Lune" (We have walked on the moon) captain Haddocks drink starts to float out of his cup when the artificial gravity is swithed off. The boose takes the form of a bubble. Nobody had ever seen that before in real life. When Haddock gets detached from the ship he floats alongside of the spaceship (and does not lag behind). Also, the characters hop over the moon in stead of walk. Remember, this was before Neal ever set foot on the moon. So if they do put the scissors into the story I know Herge is going to, as we say, turn around in his grave.
P.S. In Flanders (Vlaanderen) and the Netherlands Tin-Tin is called "Kuifje" (cowlick,quiff) because of his unusual hairdo.
P.S.2: Some years ago, there was a TV-series (cartoon) made from the Tin-Tin stories. Luckely they were smart and did not make any changes in the original storyline.