After Universal Pictures backed out of financing the first installment of Tintin, the Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson directed trilogy was left without a studio to back it. Now, according to Variety, Sony Pictures Entertainment has stepped in to help Paramount Pictures bring the 3D motion capture series to the big screen.

Tintin will be the next directing assignment for Spielberg, who will then produce the second chapter to be directed by Peter Jackson. Paramount had agreed to back the first installment, but was only willing to give the two directors $135 million to complete both films. Both Spielberg and Jackson decided to wait and see if they could find a better deal through a partnering studio. And that's where Sony came into the picture.

Shooting on the first film was supposed to start this fall. When financing fell through with Universal, Spielberg and Jackson lost their lead actor Thomas Sangster. Despite that, the film is still scheduled for a 2010 release date. Paramount will distribute the film in North America, while Sony delivers a foreign release. Under this new deal, DreamWorks will no longer have any ties to the film.

At this time, there is no director attached to part three of the proposed Tintin trilogy. The deal between Sony and Paramount, which has not been finalized at this time, is currently set for just the first two films.