Tintin, the heroic young journalist and adventurer created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé, is set to take to the silver screen again — this time with the help of Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg and his company DreamWorks have committed to produce at least one Tintin movie and are gearing up for pre-production on the film, Nick Rodwell, head of Hergé's Moulinsart Studios, which holds the rights to Tintin, said Thursday.

A close-up image of Tintin and his dog, Snowy, featured at the Pompidou Cultural Centre in Paris in December 2006.
(Jacques Brinon/ Associated Press)

"If movie No. 1 works, we will continue," Rodwell said, adding that it is still unclear which of Tintin's adventures — depicted in 24 books — will be filmed.

A completed movie could show up in theatres by 2009 or 2010, Rodwell told a press conference.

Since his debut in 1929, Tintin has enthralled comic readers with his ongoing adventures. In 2004, fans around the world celebrated his 75th birthday.

In addition to the comic book stories and the Tintin magazine, which was published from 1946 until the early 1990s, the beloved character was brought to life in radio dramas, a handful of animated and live action films, two television series, several stage shows and some video games.

Discussion about creating a new Tintin film has swirled for close to 25 years. A plan for a live action adventure was shelved after the death of creator Georges Remi, who was better known by his pen name Hergé, in March 1983.

With files from the Associated Press.