NEW YORK: Steven Spielberg announced at a news conference Sunday that “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson would direct the sequel to “Adventures of Tintin”.

He was promoting the US premiere on December 21 of his “Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn,” which has already premiered in Pakistan.

Spielberg said he had already chosen the book by the Belgian cartoonist Herge that would serve as the basis for the script.

In the sequel, the comic books' bumbling Thompson detective twins “have a much bigger role,” Spielberg said.

This time, Spielberg will produce and Jackson will direct, swapping their roles in “Unicorn.”

“It's being written right now and he's directing it after he does 'The Hobbit' and I'll produce it with him as he's produced this with me,” Spielberg said.