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Smurfs - Live action

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Smurfs - Live action

Old 06-12-08, 07:21 PM
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Smurfs - Live action

Smurfs head for big-screen at Columbia Pictures
By Steve Gorman
Wed Jun 11, 11:20 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Smurfs, those blue-skinned cartoon gnomes with short tails and white hats, are celebrating their 50th anniversary with a Hollywood movie deal announced on Tuesday by Columbia Pictures.

The Sony Corp.-owned studio said it has acquired motion picture rights to the Belgian-born characters from Lafig Belgium S.A. for a big-screen Smurfs adaptation mixing computer-graphic imagery and live action.

A similar "hybrid" treatment was recently given to another popular cartoon ensemble in the highly successful "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movie from 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.

Like Alvin and his rodent companions, the Smurfs will be created by CGI technology and interact with real actors portraying humans.

No casting decisions have been made or director chosen, but the studio is in negotiations with David Stem and David Weiss, the writing team behind both "Shrek" sequels and "The Rugrats Movie," to pen a Smurfs screenplay.


The Smurfs, simply drawn, diminutive beings -- just "three apples tall" -- with blue skin, white trousers and white caps, rank among the most widely recognized cartoon characters in the world.

Encompassing over 100 characters, the mostly male individuals all share the Smurf moniker and a descriptive first name -- such as Lazy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, Brainy Smurf and Grandpa Smurf.

Created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, aka Peyo, the Smurfs first appeared in a series of Belgium comic strips and were originally called Les Schtroumpfs in French.

They are perhaps best known to the English-speaking world from the long-running Hanna-Barbera cartoon series that aired on NBC's Saturday morning lineup through the 1980s and is still seen in roughly 30 countries.

The Smurf phenomenon has also spawned a huge merchandising empire comprising statuettes, games, toys and videos.

Movie rights to the property originally were secured in 2002, and the producer for the project, Jordan Kerner, had been developing a Smurfs feature at Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures, which now has an option to co-finance the film and distribute it internationally.

No time frame for production or release of the film has been set, but a Columbia spokesman said, "We are committed to it and hope to get moving on it as quickly as we can."
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As if our slate of films this year was bad enough.
Old 06-12-08, 07:58 PM
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You think it's bad now, just wait for the Snorks live action movie!
Old 06-12-08, 08:12 PM
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why CGI? why can't they be creative and find real smurfs?
Old 06-12-08, 09:07 PM
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I wonder if Smurfette will have a non-nudity clause in her contract?
Old 06-12-08, 09:33 PM
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Then the Care-Bears,Gummi Bears and then how about HR Pufnstuf it's been 40 years bring it back way back.
Old 06-12-08, 10:19 PM
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Bozo the Clown: The Movie

It could be good.
Old 06-12-08, 11:25 PM
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Four words: John Lithgow as Gargamel.
Old 06-13-08, 02:59 AM
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Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!: The Movie

You know you want it to happen.
Old 06-13-08, 03:57 AM
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This movie is going to fucking smurf.
Old 06-13-08, 07:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Zen Peckinpah
Four words: John Lithgow as Gargamel.
Great idea.
Old 06-13-08, 08:20 AM
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Were there any humans in the show besides Gargamel?
Old 06-13-08, 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Zen Peckinpah
Four words: John Lithgow as Gargamel.
Brilliant casting, but I still wouldn't see it.

Given that the Smurfs are a Belgian creation, I fully expect Baracine to dominate this thread with a full history of the franchise as well as claims that they're the most popular children's characters in the world.
Old 06-13-08, 10:40 AM
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I thought Disney was pushing this one out..
Old 06-13-08, 10:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Groucho
Given that the Smurfs are a Belgian creation, I fully expect Baracine to dominate this thread with a full history of the franchise as well as claims that they're the most popular children's characters in the world.
I not only await that, but also his review in which he argues that in the new film, the Smurfs represent Walloons and Gargamel is a caricature of Yves Leterme.
Old 06-13-08, 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by TomOpus
I wonder if Smurfette will have a non-nudity clause in her contract?
I hope not. How else will I be able to see the gang bang video Papa Smurf jerks off to?
Old 06-13-08, 11:31 AM
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Bah. I got all excited that they'd use people as smurfs and just paint them blue. That would have ruled.
Old 06-13-08, 04:47 PM
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I can't help but remember the SNL sketch with Garth Brooks about the NBC Smurfs "epic mini-series". Can't find the video at the moment though.
Old 06-13-08, 04:59 PM
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<style>div#main{overflow:visible;}</style>
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Old 06-13-08, 05:58 PM
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nsfw language:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qACNqaEkHmE&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qACNqaEkHmE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Old 06-13-08, 06:40 PM
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They need to smurf whoever came up with this idea.
Old 06-13-08, 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted by solipsta
Bah. I got all excited that they'd use people as smurfs and just paint them blue. That would have ruled.
I just blue myself.
Old 06-13-08, 08:11 PM
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Who will Jason Lee be playing?
Old 06-13-08, 09:48 PM
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funny about the annoucement, I had read that the Smurfs movie was to be 'animated' and in 3D - alas, I think that was just a pipe dream.
Old 06-13-08, 10:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Charlie Goose
Were there any humans in the show besides Gargamel?
Johan and Peewee showed up every once in a while.

I'm guessing the movie will have the Smurfs magically transported from their enchanted forest to the wild streets of New York City. Hilarity and "fish out of water" shenanigans will ensue.
Old 06-13-08, 10:59 PM
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Originally Posted by GoldenJCJ
Johan and Peewee showed up every once in a while.

I'm guessing the movie will have the Smurfs magically transported from their enchanted forest to the wild streets of New York City. Hilarity and "fish out of water" shenanigans will ensue.

as well as a musical sequence with over the top choreography:

'I'm smurfy. you're smurfy... have a smurfy day'

'oi vay!'

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