Rihanna will also write and perform original songs for the untitled Smurfs movie, Paramount announced Thursday (April 27) at CinemaCon.
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| Image: Paramount Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation |
Rihanna will voice Smurfette in Paramount and Nickelodeon’ Untitled Smurfs Animated Film. She’ll also write and perform original music for the film while serving as a producer on the movie, which is slated for a Feb. 14, 2025 release.
Appearing on stage at CinemaCon, Rihanna said she’s thrilled to be playing this “blue badass’ in the reimagined Smurfs. “This is a delight,” Rihanna said. “I tried to get the Papa Smurf role but It didn’t work out,” she added. "I got to play a part and just imagine. I got to just be myself," Rihanna said of the experience. "Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me. I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester and play a little blue badass [...] I hope this gives me cool points with my kids one day."
"I can't wait for you guys to see how [Smurfette has] been reimagined," Rihanna said, calling animation a "fun journey." She added, "The entire movie is going to be so fun. It's so thrilling."
Based on the characters of Belgian comics writer and artist Peyo, the movie is described as a comedic, musical adventure “that sets out to answer one of life’s biggest questions: What is a Smurf?” Chris Miller, the Oscar-nominated director of 2011’s Puss in Boots, is helming the project, with South Park's Pam Brady wring the script.
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon issued a joint statement to announce that Rihanna has joined the cast of the film:
“On behalf of our studio and our creative partners at LAFIG, we couldn’t be more excited to have found our Smurfette in one of the most beloved stars in the world,” said Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, and Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, in a news release. “With Rihanna’s singular creative appeal and musical talents, there is an enormous opportunity to elevate the cultural touchstone of The Smurfs universe in a way that’s never been done before.”
During Paramount’s slate presentation at CinemaCon, Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, teased an ambitious slate of upcoming animated pics that also includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the newly-named Transformers One.
Naito also previewed a trailer for Sept. 29 release PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie and revealed that Chris Rock will have a cameo in the movie.
He joins an ensemble cast that includes Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Bell, James Marsden, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian.
In the story, a magical meteor crash lands in Adventure City, giving the PAW Patrol pups superpowers—they are now the “Mighty Pups”—that they will need to defeat a team of supervillains when archrival Humdinger breaks out of jail.
Naito also revealed concept art from the studio’s 2025 releases: colorful underwater imagery from newly-titled The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, directed by Derek Drymon and set for a May 23, 2025 release; and 2D-styled The Last Airbender (working title), directed by Lauren Montgomery and slated for an Oct. 10, 2025 release.
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