Harsh Vardhan
The filming of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation’s ‘The Smurfs Musical’ is set to commence in Rome and Paris this year. Chris Miller is directing the live-action hybrid movie, with Matt Landon on board as the co-director. Rihanna will lend her voice to Smurfette in addition to serving as a producer, crafting original songs, and lending her vocals. The script, inspired by the characters and works of Peyo, was penned by Pam Brady. The plot explores themes of identity and asks the central question, “What is a Smurf?”
Miller’s directorial credits include ‘Puss in Boots,’ which follows an outlaw cat, his childhood egg-friend, and a seductive thief kitty on a quest for the eggs of the fabled Golden Goose to clear his name and regain trust. He also co-directed ‘Shrek the Third,’ in which Shrek plans to install Artie as the new king while Princess Fiona fends off a coup d’état by the jilted Prince Charming.
Brady recently co-wrote ‘Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken’ and Judd Apatow’s ‘The Bubble,’ which follows actors and actresses in a pandemic bubble attempting to complete a film. Additionally, she co-created ‘Lady Dynamite,’ a series based on the life of Maria Bamford, featuring occasionally surreal episodes spanning different periods of her life. She also created ‘Neighbors from Hell,’ in which Satan sends a family to the United States to stop an American company from drilling into Hell.
Rihanna was previously a part of the cast of renowned projects such as ‘Guava Island,’ ‘Ocean’s Eight,’ ‘Bates Motel,’ ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,’ and ‘Battleship.’
“I got to play a part and just imagine. I got to just be myself,” Rihanna told the press while being a part of 2023 CinemaCon. “I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester and play a little blue badass,” she added. Additionally, she hopes the film will earn her “a little bit of cool points” with her children as well. Rihanna eagerly shared her anticipation, stating, “I can’t wait for you guys to see how [Smurfette has] been reimagined.” She described animation as a “fun journey” and added, “The entire movie is going to be so fun. It’s so thrilling.”
Several ‘Smurfs’ movies, adapted from Peyo’s Belgian comic series of the same name, have been produced in recent years, such as ‘The Smurfs’ (2011), ‘The Smurfs 2’ (2013), and ‘Smurfs: The Lost Village’ (2017), all under Sony’s banner. The upcoming musical marks Paramount Pictures’ first film in the franchise.
The movie is scheduled to be released on February 14, 2025. Paris previously hosted the shooting of ‘One Day’ and ‘Napoleon,’ while Rome is a significant location of ‘Immaculate’ and ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.’
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