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Exclusive: Andy Serkis Talks Tintin
And a little bit of Hobbit too

01 February 2008  |  Written by Olly Richards  


We got the chance to catch up with Andy Serkis recently and, when not trying to coerce him into recording Gollum answerphone messages, we spoke to him about his role in the upcoming trilogy Tintin.

Though he's keeping schtum on his actual role (it's strongly rumoured that he'll play Captain Haddock), he did say that he's already started work on the project in New Zealand.

"It was on the Avatar stage," Serkis told us, referring to James Cameron's currently shooting 3D CG sci-fi bonanza. "We had this incredible week. Cameron was there,  Peter Jackson was there (who's directing one of the three Tintin films), and Steven Spielberg was there (who's directing another). All in the same room!"

Which means that the film will be using the same technology as Avatar, which shows the characters in their (almost) final form on monitors, even though they're only in lycra body stockings on set. "You're on a bare, empty stage with actors standing around in blue Lycra with dots on, but [on the monitor] the director is looking into a fully rendered, three-dimensional virtual set, with the actors as their characters".

It would be too much to hope that Cameron's involvement at this early stage might mean he'll direct the third film. Wouldn't it?

Obviously, we also had to ask Serkis about the possibility of reprising his role as Gollum for the upcoming Hobbit movie. The character appears briefly in the book, playing a riddle game with Bilbo. Though there's no script and no certainty that he'll be written into it, Serkis says "I think I'd find it very hard to turn down the opportunity to play Gollum again, because he's become very much a part of me. For good or bad, he's still very much there!".

For more on both Tintin and The Hobbit, pick up the new issue of Empire, on sale now.

Empire Magazine


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Your Comments

Tintin live-action film
#990000]Clip from the 1961 Tintin live-action film www.dailymotion.com/RenaudMan/video/7225914 More

Posted by Renaud at 02:48 on 08 February 2008 | Report This Post

ORIGINAL FRENCH NAMES & SOME FRENCH EUROPEAN ACTORS
hope they don't use the cheesy english renaming of certain characters, and stick to the original french names, like Les frères Dupont, Professeur Tournesol, and the dog Milou, or it's going to be a bit of turn off film projects. Also without lots of french and belgium actors in the mix, I won't be much interested either. As for some real good Tintin live-action film, I'm just afraid no one is ever going to beat the last real good one, Tintin Et Le Mystère De La Toison d'Or (1961). The second fi More

Posted by Renaud at 03:53 on 05 February 2008 | Report This Post

Tintin's not French...
...he's Belgian isn't he? There's souvenirs of him all over Bruges More

Posted by Juliette at 21:40 on 04 February 2008 | Report This Post

No certainty of Gollum?!
No certainty of Gollum?! what are they smoking? What purpose would The Hobbit be without that crucial scene between Bilbo and Gollum? More

Posted by Steelsheen at 03:03 on 04 February 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Exclusive: Andy Serkis Talks Tintin
I'd put my money on either George Lucas or Robert Zemeckis to direct the thrid Tin Tin movie. More

Posted by Darth Goonie at 20:00 on 03 February 2008 | Report This Post

RE: well...im
Do people actually like Tin Tin? More

Posted by RipleysMassiveBeaver at 13:49 on 03 February 2008 | Report This Post

well...im
usually a man who doesnt judge a book by its cover and always see's the potential in something meaningless as it may be bu honestly tintin??? i would have understand it if it was a single part movie with a newbie director?? but a trilogy with peter jackson and steven spielberg on board? ok something is wrong here.. i saw bits of that cartoon and there is nothing in it worth putting in a movie... no powerfull characters no interesting plotline no fresh concepts NOTHING if the trilogy is going to More

Posted by bizu08 at 20:06 on 02 February 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Please no silly voice
Oh, to all of you "Why are they wasting their time on Tintin?!" brigade, I say to you: take a hike. I endured for four years whilst PJ made Lord of the Rings for you all; let us have our series now, eh? Or better yet, why don't you wait and see the film, or read the books, and see just why two such esteemed directors consider this "pansy-assed" project worthy of their time? Who knows, maybe you might, too... More

Posted by LeChuck at 19:49 on 01 February 2008 | Report This Post

Please no silly voice
I'd love to see tintin come to life on the big screen (especially as my friend is good enough to be a professional lookalike), but please let's keep the voices as normal as possible. In the cartoon he sounded like he had a clothes peg nicely secured round his nut sack... it would also be an idea (even though he is french) not to have him sounding like a reject from allo allo. More

Posted by Ash_G at 17:54 on 01 February 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Spielberg, Jackson, Cameron?
I don't see Cameron as being actively involved with this - he just seems to be there at the same time. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who likes Tintin. More

Posted by Dirty Hartigan at 16:34 on 01 February 2008 | Report This Post

RE: Spielberg, Jackson, Cameron?
L: LeChuck As a MASSIVE Tintin fan, the concept of a film trilogy directed by those three seems like the realms of the most unrealistic fantasy, but here it is, very nearly coming true. I won't be holding my breath for JC to be signing on, but hey, it's nice to dream; besides, SS and PJ is good enough for me. :P ompletely agree. More

Posted by justified by grace at 16:20 on 01 February 2008 | Report This Post

*Shivers*
Tintin. More

Posted by jpt1976 at 15:18 on 01 February 2008 | Report This Post

''when not trying to coerce him into recording Gollum answerphone messages, '' That would be so cool ^^ More

Posted by Bluehawk at 14:58 on 01 February 2008 | Report This Post

It's TINTIN for the love of mutton!
Two, possibly three of the best directors of all time, combining to make a trilogy of films (using cutting edge technology) about a pansy-assed boy journalist? That's a waste of resources right there. More

Posted by the ageless stranger at 14:01 on 01 February 2008 | Report This Post

Spielberg, Jackson, Cameron?
As a MASSIVE Tintin fan, the concept of a film trilogy directed by those three seems like the realms of the most unrealistic fantasy, but here it is, very nearly coming true. I won't be holding my breath for JC to be signing on, but hey, it's nice to dream; besides, SS and PJ is good enough for me. :P More

Posted by LeChuck at 13:07 on 01 February 2008 | Report This Post


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