The young hero Tintin is the latest comic book character to be transformed for the big screen for a real-life action adventure, according to reports.

Steven Spielberg is set to produce the movie with Kathleen Kennedy in a joint project for Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures.

Trade newspaper Variety reports planning is still in the early stages as the studios negotiate with Moulinsart, the Belgian company that owns the rights to Tintin.

The cartoon was created by the late Georges Remi who worked under the pseudonym Herge.

Spielberg has worked on more than 30 movies

The first strip, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, appeared in 1929 in the Belgian newspaper Le Petit Vingtieme and its young reporter star went on to feature in a number of animated film for television and cinema.

The hero, with his famous tuft of blond hair, continually battled evil with the help of his dog Snowy and the drunken Captain Haddock.

French hero

More than three million books of Tintin's escapades are sold each year, in 58 languages.

There is also a huge merchandising empire surrounding Tintin.

Although the character is Belgian he is highly regarded in France.

The late French President Charles De Gaulle once said that "deep down, my only international rival is Tintin".

Artist Herge also had an influence on the art world with Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, citing him as a strong influence on their work.

Spider-Man: The Movie has proved there is a thirst for real-life comic book action films.

The summer blockbuster took $114m (�73m) in its opening weekend in the US and went on to break DVD and video records when it sold 11 million in the first three days it was on shop shelves.