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Steven Spielberg has set his cast for "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn," the first installment in the 3-D motion-capture trilogy that Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment are co-financing.

"Billy Elliot" thesp Jamie Bell will star as the titular character, an intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure. Daniel Craig will co-star as the nefarious Red Rackham.

Film, which has been cloaked in secrecy during pre-production, has begun principal production in Los Angeles. It is set for release in 2011.

Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have already boarded the project. Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook will round out the cast.

Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy are producing the film, which is based on the iconic character created by Georges Remi, also known by his pen name, Herge. Nick Rodwell, Stephane Sperry and Ken Kamins exec produce.

Paramount will release domestically, in all English-speaking territories and in Asia, excluding India. Sony Pictures Releasing Intl. will distribute in continental Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, India and the rest of the world.�

Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish wrote the screenplay.

Jackson is attached to direct the second feature in the series.