Rihanna was heard for the first time in her highly-anticipated role as Smurfette.
The first footage from the 36-year-old mogul’s – who appeared at an event for the launch of Fenty Hair in LA on Monday night – latest project – The Smurfs Movie – was unveiled at the Annecy Animation Festival on Tuesday according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Director Chris Miller had led the presentation at the event as he was joined by Paramount and Nickelodeon Animation president Ramsey Naito.
According to the weekly the duo had debuted work-in-progress footage from the film’s opening sequence along with a demo version of original music.
As diehard Rihanna fans have been waiting for new music from the megastar for years they will be happy to know that she will be writing, producing and singing new original songs ‘that will help inform the spirit of the movie’ according to the publication.
Rihanna will be voicing Smurfette in the project which is set for release next year on February 14, 2025.
She will be joined by an all-star voice cast including Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham, Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Kurt Russell and John Goodman.
The film is based on the characters and work of artist Peyo as the art will be the base of the upcoming project’s vision.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Miller explained: ‘The DNA in Peyo’s original drawings guide so many creative choices in the film.
‘It’s the blueprint for the kind of film I want to make. All of the action lines and thought bubbles from the comics are going in the movie, and the comics have inspired the style of animation to be fun and buoyant, with plenty of squash and stretch.’
In April 2023, Rihanna made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon Day Four in Las Vegas to announce she will voice Smurfette in the Paramount flick.
After the Grammy winner revealed she will lend her voice to the character of Smurfette in the live-action film, the performer humorously stated, per Variety, ‘I tried to get the Papa Smurf role but it didn’t work out.’
According to Variety, the upcoming film will focus on a ‘central’ theme and question which simply is, ‘What is a Smurf?’
The story has previously been shown on the big screen, including in 2011 with The Smurfs from Columbia Pictures which garnered around $563 million in the box office. Stars that lent their voices included Neil Patrick Harris and Katy Perry, who was cast as Smurfette.
A sequel was released two years later in 2013 to negative reviews, and a reboot with a new cast premiered in 2017 titled, Smurfs: The Lost Village.
