Variety reports that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are planning to join forces for a trilogy of digitally animated motion-capture Tintin movies. Blistering blue barnacles! Now, maybe the zygote movie-geeks at Cinemablend have no idea who Tintin is, but for those of us whose memory doesn't screech to a halt at 1993, this is interesting news. The Tintin books represent some of the best drawn comic art of all time and the stories have a weird boys-own-adventure coolness that remain untarnished after all these years. Plans call for Jackson and Spielberg to each direct one film, with the third film up for grabs at this point; Jackson's special-effects house, WETA Digital, has produced a 20-minute test reel that apparently has given the filmmakers confidence to move forward. Nothing's going to happen on this for a while, and, yes, maybe Herge is rolling in his grave, but full speed ahead, gentlemen.
Rumors are flying that Matt Damon may be out as the young James T. Kirk in the next "Star Trek" movie and that Ryan Gosling may be interested. A closer examination reveals that said rumors have the solidity of a Klingon taco-wrapper in an interstellar photon storm. Damon hasn't even been cast. J. J. Abrams of "Alias" and "Lost" is directing, though, and I do like the notion of James McAvoy ("The Last King of Scotland") as the young Scotty.
Cannes is gearing up. Wesley and I aren't going (chagrin) but Variety's there, of course, as is IndieWire, as is Premiere's Glenn Kenny, and a whole lot of blogs. We'll be posting the most interesting findings as the fest goes forard. Non, je ne regrette rien.
