'The Smurfs' going to Hollywood

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Hollywood is bringing the adventures of "The Smurfs" to life in a film aimed at introducing the cartoon little blue creatures to a new generation of fans, it was announced Tuesday.

A statement from Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation said they had obtained motion picture rights to the Smurfs, who first appeared as a Belgian comic strip in 1958.

A hybrid live-action and animated film would now go into production, with the writers of the phenomenally successful second and third "Shrek" films, David Stem and David Weiss, tapped to write the screenplay.

"The Smurfs are one of the best-known franchises and among the most beloved collection of characters in the world," Columbia president Doug Belgrad said in a statement.

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