Humans get smurfed: ‘The Smurfs 3’ to be an entirely animated reboot

Expect The Smurfs to return to cinemas in 2015. Just don’t expect Neil Patrick Harris to be back with them.

Sony Pictures – not messing around – confirmed an August 2015 release date for a third Smurfs movie, while also making the surprise announcement that it would be an entirely animated reboot, surely a response to the previous flick’s disappointing box office performance.

Though The Smurfs 2 made back its budget – and then some – thanks entirely to licensing deals completed before the film’s release, it didn’t nearly match the $563 million worldwide tally of the original. (Both were live-action/animated hybrids.)

Kelly Asbury will direct the currently untitled new Smurfs flick. It is unknown if the voice talent from the earlier instalments will return.