The Adventures of Tintin was meant to kick off a new franchise by some of the most acclaimed filmmakers in the business, but Tintin 2 is taking longer than expected. Released in 2011, Steven Spielberg’s Tintin was the latest in a long line of film and television adaptations of the famous Belgian comic strip character, but it was also one of the most promising because two more sequels were expected to arrive after The Adventures of Tintin. However, despite over a decade passing, fans are still wondering why Tintin 2 is taking so long.

The Adventures of Tintin brought young reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell) and his trusty dog Snowy to the big screen. With the help of motion capture, The Adventures of Tintin follows Tintin on a globetrotting adventure as he tries to figure out the mystery of a hidden treasure. The movie opened to a somewhat underwhelming box office considering Steven Spielberg was the director and Peter Jackson was on board to produce. Now, more than a decade later, the wait for Tintin 2 continues.

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What Ever Happened to The Adventures of Tintin 2?

The Continued Delays To Tintin 2 Have Yet To Be Explained

Animated films take longer to make because of the work required to record voice performances, animate, do motion capture, put on the finishing touches, and so forth, but the production delays on Tintin 2 have been aberrant. In 2013, Spielberg was sharing in interviews the hope was for Tintin 2 to be released in 2015. Yet, there has still been no news about when production will begin on the film. An official reason for what is causing the delays on Tintin 2 has never been given.

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Tintin 2 Is Still Happening & Could Release In A Few Years

Steven Spielberg Remains Adamant That A Sequel To The Adventures Of Tintin Is Coming

Spielberg maintained Tintin 2 is forthcoming — it’s just going to be a few years until it does come out. While promoting Ready Player One in early 2018, Steven Spielberg offered this optimistic Tintin 2 update (roughly translated from French):

”
Peter Jackson has to do the second part. Normally, if all goes well, he will soon start working on the script. As it takes two years of animation work on the film, for you, I would not expect to see it for about three years. But Peter will stick to it. Tintin is not dead!
“

However, while this update was incredibly promising, 2018 was itself over half a decade ago. With no significant news on the The Adventures of Tintin sequel since then, the future of the franchise remains uncertain. This doesn’t mean it won’t happen though, and if Tintin 2 eventually arrives, it wouldn’t be the first sequel to release well over a decade after the original.

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Peter Jackson Will Take Over As Director On Tintin 2

The Lord Of The Rings Director Will Take Over From Steven Spielberg

Spielberg will be working as a producer on a Tintin sequel (as well as the planned third film in The Adventures of Tintin movie trilogy) while Peter Jackson, who knows his way around an adventure story, is now at the helm of the sequel. Jackson’s been mostly quiet on the topic of Tintin 2, which makes sense in part because he was still filming The Hobbit trilogy when Peter Jackson added the Tintin trilogy to his schedule — and then he switched focus to Mortal Engines.

It’s expected Peter Jackson will not only direct but take over writing duties after Jackson implied screenwriter Andy Horowitz’s script was scrapped while speaking with Polygon back in 2018. At this point, Jackson is all about getting underway on Tintin 2, but it’s still slow going.

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Jamie Bell Wants To Make The Sequel

The Adventures Of Tintin Star Is Still Keen To Return To The Role

While Peter Jackson is essential for finally getting the Tintin sequel off the ground, another key member of the movie is ready to return. Jamie Bell shared (via Forbes) that he hasn’t heard anything new about a new Tintin movie but gave his confidence in Peter Jackson for working on it. Bell also expressed admiration for Jackson and the willingness to reteam with him again, saying:

”
He’s always doing something, so if they said let’s get the band back together, we’d go do it.
“

He also admitted that it would be strange to return to the role of the young hero Tintin when Bell himself is in his late 30s now, but he acknowledged that actors in motion-capture roles can get away with such things.

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Tintin’s Live-Action Movie Adaptation Explained

There May Be A New Tintin Movie Unconnected To The Animated Steven Spielberg Film

If the odds weren’t stacked enough against a sequel to Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin movie, it seems the hypothetical Tintin 2 may also have to compete with the possibility of a live-action adaptation of the character. Although French director Patrice Leconte has yet to acquire rights to Tintin, he’s eager to make his live-action take on the comics and is already underway with the development process. Leconte has even settled on an original comic storyline to use: “The Castafiore Emerald.”

Unlike Spielberg’s Indiana Jones-esque Adventures of Tintin movie, Leconte’s would be more of a shut-in mystery, which could also be very interesting. Despite Leconte’s delays, it’s well past time for Spielberg and Jackson to at least begin work on Tintin 2, if they want to avoid losing out on the opportunity.

The Adventures of Tintin

Based on the comic book series of the same name, The Adventures of Tintin follows the titular young journalist and his dog Snowy, and what happens when Tintin gets his hands on a model ship called the Unicorn.

Release Date

October 25, 2011

Studio(s)

Paramount Pictures