Following Rihanna’s killer Super Bowl halftime show, and her beautiful Oscars performance of the song she wrote for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the singer/actress is shocking audiences again as she announced she'll be playing Smurfette in the new Smurfs movie. The singer and actress, who is currently in her third trimester of pregnancy, spoke excitedly and candidly about the movie coming out in 2025. During the presentation at CinemaCon, she explained that she has loved working on the film, and how she hopes it will get her some "cool points" from her kids.
The Savage X Fenty founder explained on the CinemaCon stage that she's been having a lot of fun recording the new movie that she's also producing. While Riahnna has had some iconic outfits, she noted that she’s loved getting to go to work in her PJs while pregnant, saying:
I tried to get the Papa Smurf part and it didn’t work out. .. getting to do animation is a fun journey for me. I’m usually the front and center of everything with my likeness.. but this time I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester and play a little badass. I can’t wait for you guys to see how she’s been reimagined. I hope this gives me a little bit of cool points with my kids one day.
In all seriousness, Rihanna spoke candidly about how she’s enjoyed this process, noting how her “likeness” doesn’t need to be at the center of the project. While I love seeing her, and her amazing outfits, I mean she did have one of the boldest looks at this year’s Oscars, I’m also excited to hear see the work she does on this Smurfs movie.
As for getting "cool points" from her kids, I'm sure both her young kiddo and the one that's on the way will grow up watching this fun movie. So, they will probably adore hearing their mom on screen. Plus, by, February 14, 2025, even though they'll both still be very young, they might be able to recognize her voice and dance to the music.
Along with voicing Smurfette in the upcoming movie, Rihanna announced she'll be producing the movie and writing a few songs for it, too. So, she's really involved in the creative process for this animated film, which is extremely exciting.
Ramsey Naito, the head of Paramount Animation, revealed the news about Rihanna’s involvement, and also said that this new Smurfs movie will ask the question: “What is a Smurf?” Overall, this movie sounds like it will be buckets of fun, and along with Rihanna's involvement, the rest of the creative team has me excited.
Rihanna isn’t the only award-winning artist attached to the project. While she’s producing the flick, Chris Miller is set to direct, per Deadline. He's the director behind movies like Puss in Boots and Shrek the Third. He's also voiced characters in all four Shrek installments, and he played the penguin Kowalski in the Madagascar movies. So, I think the Smurfs are in good hands with these two, as well as Pam Brady, who wrote the script.
Overall, it sounds like this Smurfs movie is likely going to be a lot of fun, and a really cool reimaging of the classic characters. We’ll have to wait a couple of years to see if Rihanna gets those "cool points" from her kids, so in the meantime, be sure to check out the 2023 movie schedule to plan your next trip to the theater.
