New "Smurfs" Movie in Works

 A "Smurfs" musical movie is in the works at Paramount and Nickelodeon.

Chris Miller will direct the project from a screenplay by Pam Brady.

Latifa Ouaou, executive VP movies and global franchises for Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, is overseeing the development of the Smurfs movie, along with Emily Nordwind, senior VP development and production for Paramount Animation.

Earlier this year, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation announced a partnership with Smurf worldwide licensors holders LAFIG Belgium and IMPS to produce multiple movies based on the Smurfs property created by Belgian artist Pierre Culliford, known as Peyo.

The musical is the first of those projects.

Upcoming titles under the Paramount Animation umbrella include "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank", which the studio will highlight this week at Annecy before it opens July 15.

Others include"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", slated for an Aug. 4, 2023 release, "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie", set for Oct. 13, 2023, and "The Tiger’s Apprentice" released on Dec. 20, 2023.

The musical hits the theaters on December 20, 2024.

The Smurfs began life as a Belgian comic in 1958 and spawned various animated series and movies. The property gained prominence in the U.S. thanks to the 1980s Hanna-Barbera Productions cartoon.

The Smurfs also made a resurgence in the 2010s, when a new movie titled "The Smurfs" premiered in theaters in 2011. The movie featured a star-studded cast that included Katy Perry and Neil Patrick Harris.