Tintin the movie to start filming

By Natalie Jamieson
Newsbeat entertainment reporter

From humble beginnings in a Belgian newspaper nearly 90 years ago, Tintin is just months away from getting a makeover from directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.

The voice of Gollum from Lord of the Rings, Andy Serkis, has signed up to play Captain Haddock and can't wait.

He said: "I'm really excited about it. We've done a few (screen) tests and we're just about to start shooting principal photography in September."

Eighteen-year-old Thomas Sangster has the job of recreating Herge's ginger-quiffed reporter.

Peter's always in control of his material, he's got so many brilliant ideas Andy Serkis on Tintin director number two, Peter Jackson

Thomas is probably still best known for playing Liam Neeson's son in the movie Love Actually.

Stop-motion filming on the first of three Tintin movies will take place in Los Angeles but no-one knows if Peter Jackson wants to stamp a darker tone on the movies.

Andy Serkis told Newsbeat: "There isn't a finished script as yet so I don't really know exactly which way it's going to go.

"We've had a look at some sequences and done some test sequences which may or may not be in the movie."

Two directors

The current plan is for Steven Spielberg to direct the first movie, Peter Jackson the second, and then the pair of them will join up to co-direct the third.

Thomas Sangster has also starred in Nanny McPhee and Doctor Who

It may be early days but Andy Serkis says already it feels like a classic partnership.

"Working with the two of them together is a real joy. It's a great relationship, really superb, two people at the top of their game kind, just having a lot of fun really," he said.

Having experienced how Peter worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, Andy doesn't think the director will be feeling any pressure about tackling another trio of films.

He said: "Peter's always in control of his material, he's got so many brilliant ideas, he's such a visionary so they're just bouncing off each other in a really exciting way. It's fantastic to be around."

Andy can next be seen in a BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, alongside Mackenzie Crook and Dr Who's Freema Agyeman.

That's due on TV in September while the first Tintin movie is expected in cinemas in 2009.