ComingSoon.net caught up with Peter Jackson just after the District 9 press conference and got a quick update on where he and Steven Spielberg want to take Tintin after the first film, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, hits theaters late next year.
“I’ve got several favorite stories,” says Jackson, “I like ‘Seven Crystal Balls’ and ‘Prisoners of the Sun.’ I like ‘The Black Island.’ I like ‘The Calculus Affair.’ I haven’t made a final decision yet.”
Jackson confirmed that work on the follow-up won’t start until he’s completely done with writing duties on The Hobbit. He did, however, say that he has a neat idea of where he’d like to take Tintin after the first sequel: all the way to the moon.
Published in 1953, Tintin actually beat Apollo 11 by 16 years in a famously retro red and white checkered rocketship. Like the adventure chosen for the first film (“Secret of the Unicorn” and “Red Rackham’s Treasure”), Tintin’s moon adventures (“Destination Moon” and “Explorers on the Moon”) represent only a few stories that span multiple books. Though one of the most recognizable stories, the thought had been that Tintin’s moon adventures would be too offbeat for mainstream audiences.
“No moon for the second one,” agrees Jackson, “But I think the moon one[s] would be great to do as a third or fourth one. But I think we should stay on Earth for the second one.”
