Steven Spielberg hands Tintin effects work over to Peter Jackson

Steven Spielberg wrapped 32 days of performance-capture work on Tintin late last week, according to Variety. The legendary director has officially handed the project over to producer Peter Jackson, who will develop special effects over the next 18 months, according to the report.

Spielberg nabbed feature rights to the project in 1983 after movie critic reports that Raiders of the Lost Ark reminiscent of the classic tale’s escapades in exotic locations.

The Tintin comic series originated 80 years ago in Belgium, and follows the adventures of a globetrotting teenage reporter, and is incredibly popular in many countries around the world. Tintin is little-known in the U.S., however.

Spielberg and Jackson’s respective camps have tried to keep a lid on the details of what is expected to become a trilogy of films, while hyping the state-of-the-art motion-capture technology, which is being created by Jackson’s New Zealand-based effects house Weta Workshop.