The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn will begin production this week Paramount Pictures and Sony Entertainment announced.

The 3D motion picture will be directed by Steven Spielberg and star Jaime Bell (Billy Elliot, Defiance) as Tintin, the curious boy reporter always looking for a good news story and finding adventure. He and his dog Snowy always manage to save the day with his quick thinking and resourcefulness. Also, Daniel Craig (Quantum of Solace) will star as the infamous pirate, Red Rackham.

This is the first film based on the immensely popular comic strip created by Georges Remi, whose pen name is Herge. The Adventures of Tintin is a series of 24 books, the last published after Herge’s death in 1983. Over 200 million copies have been sold worldwide and the series has been translated into 70 languages attracting fans from all over the world.

Also set to appear in the film are Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook.

The first film is scheduled to be released in 2011, with the second to be directed by Peter Jackson, who directed The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

—Jessica Delli Santi