It’s a strange thing to discuss the casting of an actor in the lead role of an animated film, but such are the steaming advances in cinema, specifically in the area of motion capture. The upcoming TINTIN trilogy to be directed by indie directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson seems to have found the primary subject of its technological experiments in 17-year-old British actor Thomas Sangster. Nothing is official yet, but the Daily Telegraph is reporting that Sangster has recently been to LA to work on ‘pre-production sequences’ with both directors. TINTIN will of course use the same motion capture technology seen in BEOWULF and THE POLAR EXPRESS, but unlike those films—where the character resembled the actors that played them—Sangster will most likely resemble the Tintin from the Belgian comics.
You might recognize Sangster as Liam Neeson’s stepson in LOVE, ACTUALLY, or as one of the kids in NANNY MCPHEE. Peter Jackson regular and motion-capture vet Andy Serkis is already onboard to play Tintin’s sidekick Captain Haddock. But I suppose we’ll just have to wait for an official announcement to see if there is any truth to these Tintin rumours. Stay tuned.
