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June 10, 2008


The Smurfs are set to make their big screen debut in the form of a film that combines live-action and animation, according to a report on Variety today.

The little blue people had previously been set to bow in a 3-D animation for Paramount/Nickelodeon, but Sony and Columbia Pictures have now obtained the rights, and are courting Shrek 2 and 3 scribes David Stern and David Weiss to write the script.

The Smurfs were created by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford (aka Peyo) in 1958, but it wasn't until their long-running Hanna-Barbera cartoon in 1981 that they became a truly global phenomenon. The tale of a group of tiny blue villagers going about their daily business entranced children the world over and spawned a multi-million dollar toy and game industry.

Jordan Kerner (Charlotte's Webb) will produce, while Columbia co-president Doug Belgrad had this to say on the subject: "The Smurfs are one of the best-known franchises, and among the most beloved collection of characters in the world. We're very excited to introduce a new generation to Papa Smurf, Smurfette and the other smurftastic Smurfs in all their 'three-apple-tall' glory.