CinemaCon is in full swing. The multi-day event allows for studios to highlight some of their biggest upcoming projects, while also giving critics a chance to see soon-to-be-released projects.
A plethora of films have already been announced from this year's event. This includes the surprise announcement that John Cena will play a mermaid in Barbie. It also gave critics a first look at the Pedro Pascal-led queer western Strange Way Of Life However, the latest announcement features a major music star wearing a number of different hats for an animated project
Rihanna Will Star In, Produce, And Write Music For "Smurfs"
Smurfette has been a long-standing character in the Smurfverse. Absent from 2011's The Smurfs, she was a major player in 2013's The Smurfs 2. In that project, she was voiced by Katy Perry. However, that film was a critical bomb. It holds a 14% critics rating and a 56% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It led to the cancellation of Smurfs 3 and the retooling of the series. Furthermore, that led to Smurfs: The Lost Village, an entirely computer-generated film where Demi Lovato took the role of Smurfette. That film fared a little better, with a 40% critics rating and 56% audience rating. But now, Smurfette will be voiced by a third singer in her third onscreen appearance.
According to reports from CinemaCon, Rihanna is preparing to star in, produce, and write music in a 2025 Smurfs movie from Paramount. Speaking at the event, Rihanna said “Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me. I’m usually front and center with everything with my likeness […] but this was fun. I got to imagine, I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester, and be a blue badass. I hope this gives me a little bit of cool points with my kids one day.” Additionally, the film will be directed by Chris Miller (Shrek The Third, Puss In Boots) and Matthew Landon, a longtime film editor. Furthermore, the screenplay is set to be written by Pam Brady (South Park, Team America: World Police, Hot Rod). The Smurfs project does not yet have a title but will be released in 2025.
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