AMONG THE MILLIONS OF long-time Tintin fans in the world are directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson who now are co-operating for at least two Tintin feature films in motion-capture 3D.

Tintin movie © Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved. Tintin character: Copyright © Hergé / Moulinsart - Tous droits réservés

The first film, Secret of the Unicorn, is set for release in late October/early November 2011 in Central and Eastern Europe.

Hergé's Tintin comic albums have been translated into more than 80 languages and sold more than 230 million copies worldwide. The artist, who passed away in 1983, believed that Spielberg was the only film director who could do the books justice. The upcoming Spielberg film is based on three of the classic Tintin stories - The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure - and depicts Tintin's first encounter with Captain Haddock and the discovery of a clue to the treasure of his ancestor Sir Francis Haddock. The bumbling detective couple Thompson and Thomson will also appear in the film.

Plus Licens represents Paramount for merchandising, promotional and publishing rights to Tintin - Secret of the Unicorn in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe.