Category: Movies

'Homeland' Star to Voice Papa Smurf in Animated Movie (Exclusive)

Kelly Asbury ('Shrek 2') is directing the fully animated movie, which reboots Sony Pictures Animation's franchise. read more

Homeland star Mandy Patinkin is in final negotiations to voice Papa Smurf in Sony Pictures Animations' reboot of The Smurfs.

Kelly Asbury, the animation vet who was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or for Shrek 2 and directed the animated comedy Gnomeo & Juliet, is helming the feature project, which is an all-animated venture.

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SPA previously made two Smurfs movies as live-action/animation hybrids. (The two together grossed around $910 million worldwide.)

This one, however, will be fully animated, something more in line with the designs, tone and look of the works of Peyo, the creator of the popular blue-skinned munchkins.

The new movie is looking to tell the origin story of the Smurfs. Papa Smurf is supposed to be the wise, paternal leader of the Smurfs, but that is not always the case.

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Jonathan Winters voiced the character in the movies. Don Messick voiced him in the long-running 1980s cartoon.

The new movie, which has a release date of Aug. 5, 2016, is being produced by Jordan Kerner and co-produced by Mary Ellen Bauder.

Smurfs is a rare venture into animation for Patinkin. He previously voiced the English-language translation of Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises and the indie feature Jock the Hero Dog.

Patinkin is repped by Paradigm.