On April 27th, Rihanna appeared at Paramount Animation’s CinemaCon panel to announce that she would play Smurfette in their upcoming 2025 reboot of “The Smurfs.” Along with starring in the project, she announced that she would be producing, writing, and recording original songs for the movie.
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon simultaneously released a joint statement announcing her role in the film.
“With Rihanna’s singular creative appeal and musical talents, there is an enormous opportunity to elevate the cultural touchstone of The Smurfs universe in a way that’s never been done before.”
She revealed more information about the film’s production following the panel at the Caesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino alongside Paramount Animation Head, Ramsey Naito. The singer joked that she “tried to get the Papa Smurf role, but it didn’t work out.” She continues with how she felt playing the character Smurfette.
“I got to play a part in this where all I had to do was imagine, be, and show up in my pajamas during my third trimester to play a little blue s***.”
“I hope this gives me cool points with my kids one day,” she added.
This isn’t the first time the singer has gotten involved in animated films. She previously lent her vocal talents to Dreamwork’s Home in 2015, in which she voices the character Gratuity Tucci, along with recording the lead single of the soundtrack, “Towards The Sun.” She recorded the song “Lift Me Up” for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which became a nominee for Best Original Song in this year’s Oscars ceremony.
Naito stated that the film will explore themes of identity alongside exploring the central question, “What is a Smurf?”
The Smurfs is set to release in theaters on Feb 14th, 2025. The script is written by Pam Brady with Chris Miller as the director.
