Film
Meet the newest Smurffette: Rihanna
The actress, singer, and beauty mogul has been cast in the upcoming Smurfs movie.
Rihanna is returning to acting this year, with a role in the upcoming live-action hybrid ‘The Smurfs Movie.’ The multi-talented celebrity recently made her return to the stage this year by performing at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in February.
The superstar and new mother made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon, in Las Vegas on Thursday to make the announcement. She will be taking on the role of ‘Smurfette.’
“I tried to get the Papa Smurf role but It didn’t work out,” the singer joked on stage at Caesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino, while standing next to Paramount Animation head Ramsey Naito.
“This is a delight. Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me,” she added. “I’m usually front and center with everything, but (with) this I get to play a part and a role and I get to imagine. I get to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester and get to play a little blue badass.”
She continued, “I hope this gives me a little bit of cool points with my kids one day.”
Actor, singer, and producer
It was also unveiled that Rihanna will star, write and record original songs and produce for the upcoming film. She also confirmed that she is in the third trimester of pregnancy with her second child, which she announced during her February Super Bowl performance.
The film, according to Naito, will explore themes of identity and ask the central question, “What is a Smurf?” The film is set to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.
The upcoming film is a musical. Pam Brady wrote the script, while Chris Miller will direct. The last time the little blue creatures hit the big screen was in 2017.
Previous acting roles
This isn’t Rihanna’s first time in an animated film. She previously lent her voice to the animated feature film from DreamWorks ‘Home,’ which was successful, grossing $380 million at the worldwide box office.
Her other acting experience includes roles in ‘Battleship,’ ‘This Is the End,’ ‘Ocean’s 8′ ‘Guava Island,’ and ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’.
This also won’t be the first time Rihanna has written music for a major motion picture. In 2022, Rihanna wrote and sang ‘Lift Me Up’ for the film ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.’ She performed the song at the 2023 Oscars and secured a nomination for Best Original Song.