TVPast Forums - Universal Rejects $130M for TinTin feature film

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Universal Pictures has rejected the $130 million budget submitted by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson for their proposed Tintin movie, leaving the pair "scrambling to find another financial partner. According to the Times, the refusal hinges on the generally depressed economic climate in the United States and the huge price tag that Spielberg and Jackson would command for their participation. Paramount has already paid the majority of the $30 million spent on development so far, and is currently analyzing whether they will finance the entire movie. If they do, shooting may begin as early as next month.

Tintin was to be a trilogy of motion-captured CGI animated movies, based on the comic strip by Herge (the pen name of Georges Remi) about the adventures of a globe-trotting reporter. The fact that the title is not well-recognized in the United States also factored into Universal's refusal to finance the movie.