BRUSSELS, Belgium  —  Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks company has committed to produce at least one movie on the famed Belgian cartoon character Tintin, the head of the Tintin studio announced Thursday.

Nick Rodwell of Herge Studios said the Hollywood company will go into preproduction on a film, which should be in theaters in about two years.

It was unclear which of the 24 cartoon books of Tintin's adventures would be picked for a first movie script, he said. "If movie No. 1 works, we will continue."

Talks about a Hollywood movie on the intrepid reporter who saves the lives of countless people and makes sure criminals end up behind bars has been talked about for a quarter-century.

The first plan surfaced just before Tintin's creator, Georges Remi, aka Herge, died in 1983. But financial and production issues have kept Tintin from landing a role in a Hollywood production.