Despite the fact that 2011's "The Adventures of Tintin" didn't exactly set the box office on fire, Steven Spielberg says the sequel is still very much in the works.

Talking to French Premiere (by way of SlashFilm), Spielberg says that he's producing and Peter Jackson is directing a second film. (Spielberg directed the first film, which grossed only $77 million domestically.)

"Peter Jackson has to do the second part. Normally, if all goes well, he will soon start working on the script," Spielberg said. "As it takes two years of animation work on the film, for you, I would not expect to see it for about three years. But Peter will stick to it. Tintin is not dead!"

That means we can't expect part two until at least 2021.

The franchise, which is based on the best-selling Belgian comics by Hergé, is about a globe-trotting reporter and his dog Snowy.

There are multiple Tintin comic books to choose from for a sequel. Hergé wrote 24 Tintin adventures between 1929 and 1976. "The Adventures of Tintin" combined three stories: "The Crab with the Golden Claws," "The Secret of the Unicorn," and "Red Rackham's Treasure."

In the 3D-animated film, Jamie Bell voiced Tintin, with additional voices provided by Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost.

If you missed the first movie in theaters, it's currently streaming on Netflix.

[Via SlashFilm]