Smurfs reboot planned for 2017

Before you begin groaning about yet another Smurfs movie, hold on just a minute: the new Smurfs film, which is planned for release March 31, 2017, will be a reboot for the franchise, decidedly apart from the two other movies of recent years which blended live action and CGI animation. Rory Bruer, the President for Worldwide Distribution at Sony Pictures has stated:

‘With a fully animated feature close in tone and design to Peyo’s original creation, we’re embracing everything that have made the Smurfs so special for audiences worldwide. The date is a perfect match for this particular movie. With the kids on break, every day plays like summer, and for franchises with global appeal like the Smurfs, audiences are ready to turn out for great entertainment.’

It’s pleasing to hear that this sounds like it will harken back to the Smurfs cartoons of old. The movie will also be directed by Kelly Asbury, who was behind Shrek 2 and Gnomeo & Juliet. She said of the project, ‘Since this new film has no connection to the previous live action hybrids, we have a whole new world to create and it is critical to me and my crew that we deliver a movie that will enchant families and fans worldwide for years to come’. It appears they’re quite glad that they’re moving on from the critically derided live action movies, and we’re happy they are, too. Expect a proper title to be announced in the coming months.