Smurfs to get their own trilogy?

1980s TV favourites 'The Smurfs' are set to get their own 'Lord of the Rings'-style trilogy.

Nov 28 2006

Ever since the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy hit, the big studios have been desperate to recreate that success by finding a similar franchise to exploit… sorry, produce.

Now it seems Jordan Kerner (producer of the forthcoming 'Charlotte's Web') has come up with what he believes to be the next big thing: a trilogy of movies featuring The Smurfs.

Speaking to Moviehole.net, Kerner said that he had researched the 1980s cartoon extensively and that the film would feature '3D/CGI Smurfs'.

Kerner watched a mind boggling 234 episodes, before coming up a with trilogy of scripts with writer Herb Ratner.

He said: 'They're all so very protective of [The Smurfs], so it took me five years of negotiation to get the rights. And then, they were very uncertain about what story we wanted to tell - we weren't going to tell them until we had the rights, either.

'Then we got the rights on everyone's faith that they also had an ability to veto, and presented them with the treatment. They just loved it. To be told that they loved it - not just liked it - and to be told that [creator] Peyo would've loved it, is a huge blessing and a great thing to have happen.'

Aiming high with the project, Kerner said: 'It's a comic, but still very heartfelt, version of 'Lord of the Rings' - though not literally 'Lord of the Rings', but an epic story like that.'

And in casting news, John Lithgow appears to be favourite to play the pivotal role of the dastardly Gargamel.