One of the Greatest ‘Indiana Jones’ Replacements Ever Made Is Waiting To Be Discovered on a New Streamer

Some years ago, Steven Spielberg handed over the reins of the Indiana Jones franchise to James Mangold, who directed the series’ fifth installment, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The film became the franchise’s first installment to underperform commercially, failing to hit its projected break-even point because of a bloated reported budget of around $400 million. With star Harrison Ford in his 80s, playing a swashbuckling adventurer is understandably a thing of the past. There was a time when Shia LaBeouf and Chris Pratt were said to be in the running to take over from Ford as the iconic character, and it seems like some of those conversations will begin again. Fans still have three memorable (and one so-so) Indiana Jones movies directed by Spielberg to fall back on. But did you know that the legendary filmmaker made another spiritually connected action-adventure film that remains slept-on to this day?

The movie in question was released in 2011, just three years after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull — Spielberg’s fourth and final film in the series. The 2011 movie was based on a comic book series by Belgian writer-artist Hergé, whose work preceded the first Indiana Jones film. Spielberg was introduced to Hergé’s creation when he was promoting Raiders of the Lost Ark in Europe; the filmmaker was enamored. Hergé’s The Adventures of Tintin series revolves around a young reporter who, along with his colorful companions, gets involved in high-stakes adventures spanning genres such as geopolitical espionage, sci-fi, and whimsical comedy.

Here’s Where You Can Watch Steven Spielberg’s Criminally Underrated ‘The Adventures of Tintin’

When James Cameron‘s Avatar introduced performance capture as a viable new format for filmmakers to play around with, Spielberg jumped at the chance to direct an adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin himself. The movie received positive reviews and now holds a “Certified Fresh” 75% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Drawing deep from the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark playbook, Steven Spielberg has crafted another spirited, thrilling adventure in the form of Tintin.” Co-written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish, the movie featured Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Andy Serkis in the cast. It was a solid box-office hit, especially in international markets, grossing $375 million worldwide against a reported budget of $135 million. A sequel, to be directed by Peter Jackson, has been stuck in development hell despite fan interest. The Adventures of Tintin is streaming on Paramount+ this month. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.