I first reported the development of a Smurfs movie a couple months ago, a planned live-action/CGI mix a lá Alvin and the Chipmunks (or Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakwel).  Today, bat-like EW correspondent Michael Ausiello uncovered some more news about the plot from a casting call, and it doesn’t sound at all like the Smurfs I remember.  Here are the roles being cast:

SOPHIE: A pre-teen girl who possesses enormous smarts and great imagination, but who is socially and physically clumsy. She discovers that the doll her dad brought home from Belgium is actually a living, breathing Smurf. And not just any Smurf — Clumsy Smurf! Sophie tries to get her mom and dad to embrace Clumsy as a member of the family, but ultimately realizes what he really wants is to reunite with his fellow Smurfs.

SAM: Sophie’s 15-year-old brother. He’s a good kid, but has a tendency to be difficult and withdrawn. He gets involved in helping Clumsy return home and, as a result, bonds with his sister.

What the hell?  So instead of Smurf village we get two special-needs retards and E.T.?  Unless they cast Charley the Retarded Cat as Sophie and include a dance party scene set in McDonald’s, I’m not interested.  (But seriously though, a cat with poor motor skills plus a Smurf plus a dance party at McDonald’s?  This needs to happen).

Now that they’ve literally greenlit a gum wrapper from the 50s, there isn’t much they could make into a movie that would surprise me.  Today’s news is that Sony’s 3D, Alvin and the Chipmunks-style Smurfs movie (which everyone had forgotten about and that’s why this is news) has a release date.

Smurfs 3D is scheduled for a December 17, 2010 release. The Colin Brady-directed film was written by David Stem and David Weiss. [ComingSoon]

Hey, remember how Smurf Village only had one chick?  That’s probably why the Smurfs always had BLUE BALLS!  Hey, and what’s the deal with airline food?

So, uh, this is Sigourney Weaver receiving an award from Roman Polanski and Toby Jones at the Marrakech Film Festival this Sunday.  Shortly after this was taken, Jones climbed atop Polanksi’s shoulders to reach the cookie jar, while Weaver swatted a biplane out of the sky with her palm.

[Source = MSNBC]

Sony obtained the rights to The Smurfs and are planning a live action/animated movie.  That’s one of those movies where actors who need money stand around pretending to interact with creepy CGI characters.  On the set, I imagine a naked PA painted green running around holding a stick with a picture of a smurf or a chipmunk or whatever on it, but I can neither confirm nor deny that that’s how they do it.

"Smurfs" marks SPA’s first hybrid film — a subgenre that proved popular given the success of 20th Century Fox’s "Alvin and the Chipmunks"…
"The Smurfs are one of the best-known franchises, and among the most beloved collection of characters in the world," Columbia co-president Doug Belgrad said. "We’re very excited to introduce a new generation to Papa Smurf, Smurfette and the other smurftastic Smurfs in all of their ‘three-apple-tall’ glory."

Well smurf me in the smurf, this sounds like a smurfing great idea.  I just hope these mothersmurfers don’t make another piece of smurf like Alvin and the Chipmunks. That smurf was creepy.  One of them ate smurf in the trailer!