Rihanna to Star in Paramount Animation’s "The Smurfs" Movie

Rihanna has been cast in the voice role of Smurfette in Paramount Animation, “The Smurfs Movie.”

The superstar made a surprise in-person appearance at CinemaCon, Las Vegas’ annual convention, to make the announcement on Thursday.

Clad in a stonewash denim cape, Rihanna also confirmed she is in her third trimester of pregnancy with her second child.

The popstar will star, write and record original songs, and produce the upcoming project.

Rihanna previously lent her voice to the DreamWorks animated feature “Home,”. Her live-action screen credits include “Battleship,” “This Is the End,” “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” “Ocean’s 8” and “Guava Island.”

Little is currently known about the upcoming project other than that it's a musical movie and is a joint venture between Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies as part of their partnership inked last year.

The latest entry hails from Puss in Boots director Chris Miller and prominent writer in Pam Brady. Latifa Ouaou, the executive vice president of movies and global franchises for Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, is overseeing the development of the movie alongside Emily Nordwind.

It will be the first under Paramount but the fourth modern Smurfs movie. The movie marks the latest project for the Oscar-nominated Miller, who previously helmed a fair number of animated projects including The Penguins of Madagascar and Shrek the Third.

It will be the beginning of a massive slate of new projects involving the Smurfs as Paramount seeks to capitalize on the brand's massive reach.

The movie will explore themes of identity and ask the central question, “What is a Smurf?”.

The little blue creatures themselves were originally created by artist Pierre Culliford, better known by his pen-name Peyo, which has since branched out into a massive global franchise including films, television shows, and much more.

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.

The movie is set to hit theaters on Feb. 14, 2025.