6/10/2008

in

The Smurfs that are most widely known in the English speaking world are to have their own movie.

Marshall Burns

*The Smurfs*, the beloved blue-skinned cartoon gnomes are to hit the big scren soon to mark their 50th anniversary, according to Reuters.  
  
The series that was based from a 1958 Belgian comic book is in talks for a Hollywood deal to get them on the big screen to combine live action and animation, reported Reuters.  
  
"We're very excited to introduce a new generation to Papa Smurf and the other Smurfs in all of their glory," Columbia president Doug Belgrad told the BBC.  
  
The big screen version is to be written by David Stem and David Weiss who were the writers of the second and third in the *Shrek* series.  
  
The comic book was made popular in the States due to the Hanna-Barbara corporation who made them into a cartoon during the 1980s, reported the BBC.  
  
The film is to be something like the way *Alvin and the Chipmunks* was when 20th Century Fox made them into a movie reported Reuters. However, for the live action part of this, there have been no casting decisions made or a director chosen.  
  
The cartoon is one of the most widely known characters in the English-speaking world and is still run in about 30 countries. The three-apple-tall phenomenon sparked a huge merchandising campaign as well, including statuettes, games, toys and videos, according to Reuters.  
  
The film has no release date set, but a Columbia spokesman told Reuters, "We are committed to it and hope to get moving on it as quickly as we can."