Rihanna has landed the role of Smurfette in Paramount Animation's latest live-action hybrid film, "The Smurfs Movie." The singer surprised attendees at CinemaCon, the annual convention for movie theater owners in Las Vegas, with an in-person announcement on Thursday. During the announcement, Rihanna joked that she had tried to secure the role of Papa Smurf but was unsuccessful. In addition to her voice role, it was revealed that she will also write and record original songs for the project and serve as a producer. Rihanna, who appeared on stage wearing a stonewash denim cape, also confirmed that she is in her third trimester of pregnancy with her second child.
Ramsey Naito, head of Paramount Animation, has shared that the upcoming film will delve into the theme of identity and pose the fundamental question, "What is a Smurf?" This marks a departure from Rihanna's previous voice work in the DreamWorks animated feature "Home," which grossed over $380 million worldwide, and her live-action film credits including "Battleship," "This Is the End," "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," "Ocean's 8," and "Guava Island."
The little blue creatures, based on the comic books by Belgian artist Peyo, have had a successful modern film franchise at Sony Pictures for over a decade. Director Raja Gosnell ("Scooby-Doo") helmed two live-action hybrid films featuring Neil Patrick Harris and voices from Julia Roberts, Katy Perry, Hank Azaria, and Joe Manganiello.
Chris Miller is set to direct the upcoming film, which is slated to be released in theaters on February 14th, 2025. The script was penned by Pam Brady.
Apart from the reboot of "The Smurfs," Paramount Animation's upcoming slate of projects includes Seth Rogen's version of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," a new adventure featuring "SpongeBob Squarepants," and another outing for "Paw Patrol."
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