Those merry blue little creatures of the forest first appeared in a Belgian comic strip in 1958. Since that time they moved to the small screen as a children’s animation. Mutant Smurfs have also appeared on the television show Robot Chicken.
Now a new generation of fans will see the Smurfs in the cinema.
Created by Pierre Culliford (known as Peyo) they are best known from the show bearing their name produced by Hanna-Barbera.
The film will be a hybrid live-action and animated piece that will soon go into production. The writers are David Stem and David Weiss. They wrote the second and third “Shrek” films.
“The Smurfs are one of the best-known franchises and among the most beloved collection of characters in the world,” Columbia president Doug Belgrad said in a statement.
“We’re very excited to introduce a new generation to Papa Smurf, Smurfette and the other Smurfs in all of their ‘three apple tall’ glory.”
