Peter Jackson is working on a screenplay for a new "Tintin" film, the director said during an onstage conversation at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
Jackson said he is currently writing the script - even while in Cannes - after being asked whether he would direct the long-awaited sequel based on the comic series by Belgian artist Hergé, originally titled “Les Aventures de Tintin.”
The first film, "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn," was directed by Steven Spielberg in 2011, with Jackson serving as a producer.
“The deal was that Steven directs one and I direct another,” said Jackson, noting that he has yet to direct his instalment some 15 years later.
Jackson said he has been working on the screenplay with his partner Fran Walsh, including during his stay in Cannes. “It’s an active real thing, and I’m getting back into the Tintin world, and I actually love it," he said.
The New Zealand director was honoured with an honorary Palme d’Or at the festival’s opening gala on Tuesday evening. He spoke about his career, artificial intelligence and his Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, as well as the three "The Hobbit" trilogy films released between 2012 and 2014.
Jackson will serve only as a producer on the upcoming "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum," which is set to be directed by Andy Serkis, who portrayed Gollum in earlier films and will also star in the project. The film is scheduled for release in December 2027.
Jackson said he was happy to leave directing duties to Serkis, citing the character’s psychological depth and obsession. “Andy knows this guy better than anybody,” he said, adding that Serkis would bring Gollum’s psychology to the screen in a way few could match.
