JAMIE BELL - SPIELBERG CASTS HIS TINTIN

SPIELBERG CASTS HIS TINTIN

Jamie Bell has been cast as Tintin in Steven Spielberg's big-screen adaptation of the long-running comic book series, with Daniel Craig starring alongside him as the film's principal villain.

Craig, best known for his portrayal of James Bond in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, will play nefarious pirate Red Rackham in The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, a 3D motion capture film.

Billy Elliot's Bell and Craig join a diverse cast already featuring Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook.

Serkis will lend his voice to Captain Haddock, as well as the seadog's ancestor, in the Peter Jackson-produced film, while Pegg and Frost will play bumbling detectives Thompson and Thomson.

Secret of the Unicorn is scheduled for release in 2011 and could either be the first of two or three instalments.

The Lord of the Rings helmer Jackson is in line to direct the sequel to the first big-screen adaptation of a comic book series that has sold more than 200 million copies.