Spielberg To Bring "Tintin" To Screen

(CBS/AP)  It was a quarter century in the making. But, then again, nothing ever comes easy to cartoon heroes like Tintin.

On Thursday, the head of Tintin's commercial studio announced the adventures of the intrepid Belgian reporter will be turned into at least one Hollywood movie by Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks company.

The Academy Award-winning filmmaker has pursued a movie option on the comic book series since the early 1980s.

"After 25 years, they finally said 'OK, let's go,' " Nick Rodwell, head of Moulinsart NV, said of the protracted talks.

It was unclear which of Tintin's adventures would be picked for a first movie script, he said. "If movie No. 1 works, we will continue," he said.

They may have a long way to go, and an eager audience: The 24 Tintin books have sold 220 million copies worldwide and have been translated in 77 languages.

Tintin's creator, Georges Remi, a.k.a. Herge, reportedly delighted in Hollywood's interest in his character, before he died in 1983.

"If Steven Spielberg wants to make a Tintin film I cannot imagine anything better," Rodwell said of Herge's thoughts, and he fully realized that a movie adaptation might well change the way Tintin looks.

"Let's see what he comes up with," Rodwell said.

During the 1960s, two French adaptations hit the screens but failed to get worldwide attention. And even though French interest remains high for another Tintin movie, Rodwell sought the global appeal of Hollywood.

At the moment, it remained unclear whether the movie would be cartoon animation, computer animation or a conventional film with actors.

Tintin's appeal has been enduring for the better part of a century. In 1929, he first set out to "The Land of the Soviets" where he uncovered fake factories and bravely protected farmers from soldiers who came and stole their wheat.

When not dabbling in politics, the journalist sets off on high adventures, finding mysterious meteors that crashed at sea, or discovering Inca treasures in the Andes. He even finds time to fly to the moon, fighting mad scientists and shaven goons along the way.

He fought Nazi-like regimes in stories that seemed based on Hitler's real-life takeover of Austria and Czechoslovakia.

In Europe, generations grew up on Tintin — the simple, yet unpredictable, storylines, the easy distinction between good and evil and the guaranteed thrill on every page. And all was captured with vivid colors and exotic landscapes.

The announcement that DreamWorks had taken up their option to move toward preproduction stood out during the presentation of the centennial celebrations of Herge's birth.

Apart from a major exhibit which already ended in Paris's Pompidou Center there will be shows as far and wide as Stockholm, Barcelona and Lausanne.