No need to be blue, because it looks like the Smurfs are about to do it for you. It looks like Puss in Boots director Chris Miller will be bringing the small blue critters to the big screen for Paramount and Nickelodeon, according to an exclusive report from The Hollywood Reporter.
The upcoming project, a yet-untitled Smurfs musical, is set to be released on December 20, 2024. Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation announced a partnership with the Smurf worldwide licensors holders earlier this year. The deal set them up to produce several movies based on the Smurfs property. The Smurfs were originally created by Belgian artist Pierre Culliford, also known as Peyo. For the upcoming musical film, Pam Brady wrote the screenplay. Previously, Brady wrote the puppet-based film Team America: World Police.
“We’re thrilled to have such a talented group of people bringing audiences this latest rendition of the beloved Smurfs universe, including the incredible Chris Miller,” said Ramsey Naito, according to the exclusive Hollywood Reporter report. Naito is president of animation and development at Paramount. Naito also oversees Nickelodeon Animation.
Miller, who is directing the upcoming project, also directed the film Shrek The Third. Latifa Ouaou, who is the executive vice president of movies and global franchises for Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation is overseeing the development of the upcoming and untitled Smurfs movie. Emily Nordwind, senior vice president of development and production for Paramount Animation, is also overseeing the production.
The Smurfs, those small blue creatures who live in toadstools and have unnerving male-to-female ratios, originated in Belgian comics starting in 1958. However, the franchise gained prominence, at least in the United States, in the 1980s, when it premiered as a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. The Smurfs also made a resurgence in the 2010s, when a new movie titled The Smurfs premiered in theaters in 2011. The film featured an all-star cast including Katy Perry and Neil Patrick Harris.
The new Smurfs film is only one of many animated features coming out of Paramount Animation. Upcoming releases include Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, which has a July 15 release date. Other upcoming releases include the also very 1980s nostalgic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is set for an August 04, 2023 release, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, which is set for an October 13, 2023 release, and The Tiger’s Apprentice, which is set to be released on December 20, 2023.