In 2017, Sony Pictures Animation will take another go at the Smurfs franchise with a new film titled Get Smurfy…oh wait, that’s not the actual title of the movie anymore.
As revealed today in a profile piece by USA Today, the upcoming reboot now has a new title: Smurfs: The Lost Village. An interesting title, seeing how it shifts away from the more comedic-sounding vibe of Get Smurfy and skews toward a more adventurous tone. But that’s not the only thing new about the film that we’ve learned.
We also get a new teaser image, featuring the brotherly duo of Hefty, Clumsy, and Brainy. What’s more, the film has found its three actors for those respective characters.
Joe Manganiello (HBO’s True Blood and Magic Mike) will step into the role of Hefty, while Jack McBrayer (of 30 Rock and Wreck-It Ralph fame) will lend his comedic talents to the film as Clumsy. Community‘s Danny Pudi rounds out the trio as Brainy. They join a voice cast that includes Demi Lovato as Smurfette, Rainn Wilson as Gargamel, and Mandy Patinkin as Grandpa Smurf.
Director Kelly Asbury (speaking to USA Today) describes Hefty as “sort of the personal trainer Smurf of the group” and even hinted at a possible romance between him and a certain female Smurf. “He’s very protective of them all, especially Smurfette, for whom he carries a not-so-secret puppy-love torch,” says Asbury.
The character was also given a slight redesign, possibly to fit Manganiello’s performance. “We’ve designed Hefty to have slightly bulkier arms, and he can flex his biceps—Hefty Smurf has guns,” Asbury says. “He also walks with a rather puffed-up, confident posture.” In addition, Manganiello was revealed to have used a “heftier, energetic version of his natural voice.”
The film (as reported before) centers around the origin story of the Smurfs. In The Lost Village, Smurfette and her brothers lead the charge in navigating the Enchanted Forest to find the fabled Smurf village before Gargamel does.
Thus, we will see the formation of the Smurf village that we know from the comics and TV show. “It will lead to the greatest discovery in all,” says Asbury. “Smurfdom.”
Smurfs: The Lost Village will land in theaters on March 31, 2017.
What do you think? Any thoughts on the new title? Are you still looking forward to the film?
Edited by: Kelly Conley
