Pop star Rihanna is joining Chris Miller and Matt Landon's untitled Smurfs movie as the voice of Smurfette—and she's also creating original music for the film. Paramount Pictures made the announcement during the company’s special panel at CinemaCon 2023.

Announced last year, the yet untitled Smurfs movie is set to be a musical, which explains why Rihanna was invited to voice the leading female character. The owner of one of the most influential voices in modern music, Rihanna is frequently stealing the spotlight in some of the biggest stages of the musical industry, including this year’s Oscar ceremony and Super Bowl. Her songs have also been featured in dozens of movies and TV shows, most recently in Marvel Studios’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, for which she released two singles.

Rihanna is also no stranger to acting, having starred in movies such as Ocean's 8 and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. On television, she has also played the role of Marion Crane in Bates Motel. All of that proves how Rihanna remains a versatile artist, capable of tackling wildly different projects. So, she’ll fit like a glove in the new Smurfs movie. And since the upcoming animated film is also a musical, we can also expect to hear some new original songs by the singer.

Smurfs

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What We Know About the New Smurfs Movie?

Created by Belgian comics artist Peyo, the Smurfs are small blue humanoid creatures that live in an enchanted forest and frequently have to defend themselves from the attacks of the villainous Gargamel. At first, all Smurfs were male characters until the introduction of Smurfette, created by Gargamel to infiltrate the tribe and wreak havoc from within. Despite this callous start, Smurfette became a valuable ally and part of the family, which makes her a fan-favorite character and one of the most interesting Smurfs ever. While we don’t know much about the new movie’s plot, it’s excellent to know Smurfette will be one of the main characters, with a huge star such as Rihanna attached to voice her.

The last time the Smurfs came to theaters was for 2017’s Smurfs: The Lost Village, a movie that puts Smurfette at the center of the story and discusses the female representation in the franchise. At the time, Demi Lovato voiced the character.

In addition to voicing Smurfette and creating new music for the film, Rihanna is also a producer alongside Ryan Harris, Laurence “Jay” Brown, and Tyran “Ty-Ty” Smith. The new Smurfs movie is being written by Pam Brady, who also penned Team America: World Police. Miller’s directing credits include Shrek The Third and Puss in Boots.

The new Smurfs movie will arrive on February 14, 2025. Check out our previous interview with Miller below: