Fans of The Smurfs will be pleased to know that Paramount and Nickelodeon are ready to bring the little blue characters back in a big with, with multiple projects in development, including a musical movie. For a group of little blue humanoids living in a tiny village, who began life as comic book characters created by Belgian artist Peyo, the pseudonym of Pierre Culliford, The Smurfs have become a cultural phenomenon thanks mainly to the cartoon series of the 1980s, which can currently be found on various platforms, and after two recent big-screen outings and a new CGI animated series last year, it looks like there is a lot more Smurfiness to come.
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The Smurfs’ last big-screen outing came in the form of 2021’s The Lost Village, which was not exactly a hit with critics but more than trebled its $60 million budget to become a big hit for Sony. Now it appears that Nickelodeon has licensed out the rights to the happy blue creatures, and they are about to fly in many directions very soon.
News of the coming Smurf takeover comes from The Hollywood Reporter, who revealed that Nickelodeon has joined forces with LAFIG Belgium and IMPS to move forward with several new Smurf movies, which will kick off with a musical film released in time for Christmas 2024. Surprisingly, South Park writer-producer Pam Brady is on board to write the script for the first movie in the new run, which will go into production later this year. Currently, there is no word on who will be directing the film. While the movie will come in a musical form, the world and characters themselves will be the same familiar creatures as they always were.
The Smurf Universe Will See More Smurf Action Coming to Screens Than Ever Before
While The Smurfs have been a pop culture feature for decades, their on-screen appearances have never been more abundant than the wave of movies and shows coming in the next few years. Following the successful revival series of The Smurfs, the second season will bring back the small screen antics of Papa Smurf, Brainy, Clumsy, and of course Smurfette as they work and play in their Smurf Village. The new season will contain 26 brand new episodes, but there is currently no word on exactly when they will premier.
Nickelodeon is clearly going all-in on the future of The Smurfs, and while details on the other new projects are currently scarce, there is no doubt that they will be coming over the next few years in quick succession. As well as the TV and film projects, The Smurfs will also be getting a new series of video games, meaning that there will be no escaping their happy little lives no matter how you try. The popularity of The Smurfs is one of those things that has never really gone away and having been given toy lines and other merchandising that have kept them fresh and relevant while they awaited their time in the sun again.
