He’s already brought one classic character to the big screen with Scooby Doo and its sequel, and now it’s been announced that director Raja Gosnell is on the cartoon case again by signing up for The Smurfs. Sony is now going full steam ahead on alive action adaptation of the characters, which were were created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo in the 1950s, hoping to get it into cinemas in December 2010. Released in both 3D and 2D versions, the movie hopes to capitalise on the market that went crazy for Alvin And The Chipmunks.
Gosnell started his career as an editor, before beginning his directing career with Home Alone 3, following it with the Scooby Doo movies and most recently making Beverly Hills Chihuahua. He may not be the most distinctive or interesting of directors, but he does have plenty of experience mixing CG with live action and has come to be seen in Hollywood as a pair of fairly safe hands (and Beverly Hills Chihuahua made a hell of a lot more money than anyone ever expected).
We’re still not sure whether the Smurfs will work on the big screen, but we have to admit we’re intrigued to see what the movie is like. There are certainly the ingredients for a good film featuring the little blue villagers, but Hollywood does have a bit of a habit of screwing these things up – Gosnell’s Scooby Doo movies being a case in point.