First Look at Spielberg's Tintin

Empire Magazine has the first look at the photo-realistic animation in Spielberg's upcoming film, Tintin.  Jamie Bell will play Tintin, and Andy Serkis is Captain Haddock (below).

Daniel Craig the villain

Jamie Bell (all grown up!) from Billy Elliot will be Tintin and Daniel Craig will be his co-star as the dastardly pirate Red Rackham.
From the BBC:

British actor Daniel Craig, best known for playing secret agent James Bond, has signed up to play the villain in the new Tintin movie.

The 40-year-old has landed the role of Red Rackham opposite Billy Elliot star Jamie Bell, who will play the intrepid young reporter Tintin.

Filming for The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, directed by Steven Spielberg, has already begun.

It is thought the Tintin movie, planned for released in 2011, will be the first of two or three movies.

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, who is co-producing the project with Spielberg, has been lined up to direct the sequel.

Confused by what Tintin is all about? Read this article on the European cult of Tintin.

NOW I'm interested in TinTin

I'd heard rumblings about Steven Spielberg doing a Tin Tin movie, and just went why? Why should I care? Even Spielberg directing didn't excite me.

NOW, I care. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost of Hot Fuzz (one of my all time favorite movies) and Shaun of the Dead, have signed on to play the clumsy Thompson and Thompson detectives in TinTin.

Coming Soon says:

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (the Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz duo) have landed the roles of Thomson and Thompson in director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson’s Tintin.

The movie will be animated with motion-capture technology and star Andy Serkis as Tintin’s friend Captain Haddock. Thomas Sangster was previously set to play Tintin but had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts

Hat tip: The Movie Blog