Great snakes! Tintin's joined the opera

Belgian actor Amani Picci plays Tintin (here with the dog playing Snowy) in the operatic adaption of The Castafiore Emerald which is being staged in La Hulpe, Belgium. Photos: AFP

Over the years Tintin has battled spies, climbed the Himalayas and travelled to the Moon but the intrepid Belgian boy reporter now faces what could be his biggest adventure yet - an opera.

Already immortalised in a series of much-loved comic books, film and theatre, Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy are now set to star in an open-air musical adaptation of the The Castafiore Emerald, which opens this week near Brussels.