News

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Just a couple of months after seeing him in Ballerina, Keanu Reeves fans have something new: a Little Golden Book biography about the action star.

The collectible, “totally awesome” Keanu Reeves: A Little Golden Book Biography gives an overview of The Matrix actor’s life and professional work, presented in easy language with pictures, making it enjoyable for fans of all ages. The Little Golden Book biography also...

"We found three bodies and you're connected to all of them." Paramount has unveiled an official trailer for a dark comedy movie called Adulthood, from director Alex Winter - his first fictional narrative feature in a long time. He has been making documentaries the last decade, but is finally back with an awkward comedy about murder and family. When siblings Megan and Noah uncover a long-buried corpse in their parents' basement, they stumble into a wildly escalating spiral of crime, cover-ups, and murder. The deeper they dig, the harder it becomes to escape. Starring Josh Gad, Kaya Scodelario, Billie Lourd, Alex Winter, and Anthony Carrigan. The film is premiering at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival next month before debuting in theaters + on VOD later in September this fall. At first glance, it reminds me of the hilarious Sightseers, but it seems this film has some other tricks up its sleeves. The...

Josh Gad and Kaya Scodelario are digging up a treasure trove of family secrets today in Collider’s exclusive first look at the trailer for Adulthood. The latest film to herald from frequent documentarian and co-star of the Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure franchise, Alex Winter, puts a comedic edge to an incredibly dark and traumatizing moment in the lives of main characters and siblings Megan (Scodelario) and Noah (Gad). In addition to the trailer, we’ve also got the exclusive debut of the poster for the film, which arrives in select theaters on September 19 with a digital release to follow on September 23.

Going back to your childhood home can be tough — especially when faced with the mortality of a loved one. Luckily, siblings Megan (Scodelario) and Noah (Gad) have one another when they make the journey back home after their mother is admitted into the hospital. While going through...

Exclusive: Billie Lourd is set to join the ensemble of the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios AI pic Artificial, which Luca Guadagnino is directing. Lourd joins a cast that already includes Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, Monica Barbaro, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Cooper Hoffman and Ike Barinholtz.

Official plot details are being kept under wraps, although the film is being described as a comedic drama set in the world of artificial intelligence. While unconfirmed, sources say the film revolves around the period at OpenAI in 2023 that saw CEO Sam Altman fired and rehired in a matter of days. Details behind who Lourd will be playing are unknown at this time.

Simon Rich wrote the script and will produce alongside Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford, as well as Jennifer Fox.

Lourd most recently starred in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl and voiced a role in the animated Smurfs movie. On TV,...

We're living in what feels like a golden age of film restoration: from classic Hollywood to obscure Eastern European animation to hidden African gems to old cult films, it's getting easier to find, restore, and create collector's editions of movies we thought would be lost forever.  One such gem is Freaked, the frenetic horror comedy. Co-written and directed by Alex Winter (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure) and Tom Stern (Butthole Surfers), the film did not do well on its original release in 1993, hence perhaps why it's been hard to find all these decades. But it's a film that comes up often in conversation among cult film fans, and at last, for those who never got the chance to see it, a 4K Uhd restoration from Drafthouse...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The complete cast and design team has been revealed for Jamie Lloyd’s new production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot starring Keanu Reeves as ‘Estragon’ and Alex Winter as ‘Vladimir.’ Joining the cast is Obie and Theater World Award winner Brandon J. Dirden as ‘Pozzo.’ Dirden, and the previously announced Michael Patrick Thornton as ‘Lucky,’ will be joined by Zaynn Arora and Eric Williams who will share the role of ‘A Boy.’ The cast is completed by understudies Jesse Aaronson and Franklin Bongjio. The design team for Waiting for Godot features frequent Jamie Lloyd collaborators: Evening Standard Award winner and Tony Award nominee Soutra Gilmour (set and costume design), two-time...

Long out-of-print cult classic Freaked will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on November 5 via Australia’s Umbella Entertainment in collaboration with Drafthouse Films.

The 1993 black comedy has been newly restored in 4K with Dolby Vision and 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo audio options.

In addition to the theatrical cut, the three-disc set includes a previously unreleased workprint along with a rehearsal version of the film.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure star Alex Winter co-directs with Tom Stern (The Idiot Box) from a script they wrote with Tim Burns (An American Werewolf in Paris).

Special features:

2004 Audio Commentary with Writers/Directors Tom Stern & Alex Winter (new) Workprint Alternate Cut (new) The Rehearsal Version Alternate Cut The Night’s Special Guest – Co-Director/Writer & Actor Alex Winter on Freaked (new) Very Special People – Co-Director/Writer Tom Stern and Writer Tim Burns on Freaked (new) The Glass Cyclops – Cinematographer Jamie Thompson and Camera...

Exclusive: Hulu is developing Stay Tuned, a comedy series headlined and executive produced by Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells.

Loosely based on the 1992 cult classic film of the same name starring John Ritter and Pam Dawber, Stay Tuned was created by Akiva Goldsman, Jordan Cahan, and Greg Lessans, with Cahan set as showrunner. In the TV series take, Rannells and Gad will find themselves trapped on the wrong side of the screen and forced to navigate their way through TV’s most binge-worthy obsessions.

Gad and Rannells executive produce alongside Goldsman and Lessans via Weed Road Productions, Morgan Creek’s James G. Robinson & David Robinson, and Aaron Semmel.

Morgan Creek produced the movie, directed by Peter Hyams, which stars Ritter and Dawber as a suburban couple who are unwittingly transported into their television by a satanic emissary and must survive 24 hours of being bounced from one dangerous situation to another...

Exclusive: Sony Pictures’ 3000 Pictures have joined forces to acquire Open House, a spec comedy written by Ricky Stanicky scribe Jeff Bushell. Pic will be produced by Russell Hollander and Bushell.

A high school senior is desperate to lose his virginity and help his struggling realtor mom. He strikes a deal with the most popular guy in school, lending access to mom’s empty luxury house listings for parties, in exchange for a social status upgrade. What could go wrong?

It’s in early development, with Aislinn Dunster overseeing after bringing in the spec to 3000 Pictures, and Aisling Lynch co-producing.

The Bushell-scripted Ricky Stanicky was directed by Peter Farrelly and starred John Cena and Zac Efron, for Amazon Prime. He previously wrote Beverly Hills Chihuahua for Disney and has had a long-running career in television, where he served as showrunner on multiple series. Bushell began his career on The Bernie Mac Show,...

Hasta cuatro presencias españolas en el Festival canadiense.

© TIFF

El Festival Internacional de Cine de Toronto, que celebra su 50.ª edición del 4 al 14 de septiembre, ha anunciado los primeros títulos que integrarán sus dos secciones principales: Galas y Proyecciones Especiales. Aunque se esperan más incorporaciones, ya destacan nombres como Chloé Zhao, Edward Berger, David Michôd, Gus Van Sant, Guillermo del Toro, Mark Jenkin y Paul Greengrass. Además, España no se queda atrás y pone toda la carne en el asador con cuatro títulos. A la previamente anunciada El cautivo, de Alejandro Amenábar, que tendrá su estreno mundial en el certamen canadiense, se suman Tres adioses, de Isabel Coixet, también en calidad de premiere mundial; Sirat, de Oliver Laxe, tras su triunfo en la Croisette; y la coproducción Calle Málaga, que llegará tras su estreno en Venecia.

Galas

Adulthood (Alex Winter)

A Private Life (Rebecca Zlotowski)

Driver’s Ed (Bobby Farrelly)

Eleanor...

Celebrating its 50th edition this year, the Toronto International Film Festival will take place September 4–14. The festival has now unveiled its Galas & Special Presentations lineup, featuring new films by Benny Safdie, Gus Van Sant, Alice Winocour, Baz Luhrmann, Mark Jenkin, Steven Soderbergh, Rian Johnson, Paul Greengrass, Mamoru Hosoda, Joachim Trier, Richard Linklater, Jafar Panahi, Guillermo del Toro, Arnaud Desplechin, and more.

See below.

2025 Galas (in alphabetical order):

*previously announced

*A Private Life | Rebecca Zlotowski | France

North American Premiere

Adulthood | Alex Winter | USA

World Premiere

Driver’s Ed | Bobby Farrelly | USA

World Premiere

Eleanor the Great | Scarlett Johansson | USA

North American Premiere

Eternity | David Freyne | USA

World Premiere

Fuze | David Mackenzie | United Kingdom

World Premiere

Glenrothan | Brian Cox | United Kingdom

World Premiere

Good Fortune | Aziz Ansari | USA

World Premiere

*Hamnet | Chloé Zhao | United Kingdom

Canadian Premiere

*Homebound | Neeraj Ghaywan | India

North American Premiere

*John Candy: I Like Me | Colin Hanks | USA...

It’s a big news week for the 50th Toronto International Film Festival starting with this morning’s announcement of their full Galas and Special Presentations section including world premieres of Aziz Ansari’s Lionsgate Keanu Reeves & Seth Rogen comedy Good Fortune, Maude Apatow’s feature directorial debut Poetic License, Isabel Coixet’s Three Goodbyes, James McAvoy’s feature directorial debut California Schemin’, Succession star Brian Cox’s feature directorial debut Glenrothan, Romain Gavras’ Sacrifice, David Michôd’s Christy, Yeon Sang-ho’s The Ugly, James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg, and Alice Winocour’s Couture, as well as films from Mamoru Hosoda, Zacharias Kunuk, Baz Luhrmann, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Jafar Panahi, Benny Safdie, and Gus Van Sant.

Before Waiting for Godot begins its Broadway run on Sept. 13, both Bill and Ted will be in TIFF; Keanu Reeves starring in Good Fortune and Alex Winter with the world premiere of his Adulthood.

Good Fortune,...

World premieres of David Michôd’s boxing biopic Christy starring Sydney Sweeney, Alice Winocour’s fashion industry dramaCouturestarring Angelina Jolie,and David Mackenzie’s action thriller Fuze are among the line-up in Galas and Special Presentations unveiled by Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) today (July 21).

Also selected for their first public screenings at the festival’s 50th anniversary edition (September 4-14)are Isabel Coixet’s drama Three Goodbyes, Romain Gavras’s adventure comedy Sacrifice, mystery The Ugly from Train To Busan’s Yeon Sang-ho, James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg Trials drama Nuremberg, acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for North America, Aziz Ansari...

The directorial debuts of comedian Aziz Ansari, “Euphoria” breakout Maude Apatow, “Succession” star Brian Cox and “Split” actor James McAvoy will world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Ansari’s action comedy “Good Fortune,” Apatow’s coming-of-age comedy “Poetic License,” Cox’s British drama “Glenrothan” and McAvoy’s musical biopic “California Schemin'” are among the new additions to the TIFF lineup. Other films that will host world premieres at the annual Canadian-based gathering include Alex Winter’s “Adulthood” and Bobby Farrelly’s “Driver’s Ed.”

Meanwhile Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine,” a wrestling drama starring Dwayne the Rock Johnson and Emily Blunt, and Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” will have their North American premieres at TIFF. Those movies have yet to announce where the world premieres will take place, though it’s likely the Venice Film Festival.

TIFF also announced that several movies that already debuted at other...

World premieres of Aziz Ansari’s comedy Good Fortune starring Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves, David Michôd’s boxing biopic Christy starring Sydney Sweeney, and David Mackenzie’s action thriller Fuze are among the line-up in Galas and Special Presentations unveiled by Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) today (July 21).

Also selected for their first public screenings at the festival’s 50th anniversary edition (September 4-14)are Isabel Coixet’s drama Three Goodbyes, Romain Gavras’s adventure comedy Sacrifice, mystery The Ugly from Train To Busan’s Yeon Sang-ho, James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg Trials drama Nuremberg, acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for North America,...

Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” Edward Berger’s “Ballad of a Small Player,” Bobby Farrelly’s “Driver’s Ed,” Brian Cox’s “Glenrothan,” Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire,” Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” and Baz Luhrmann’s “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” will screen in the Galas and Special Presentations sections of the 2025 Toronto international Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced on Monday.

Those films were among the more than 50 new movies that were added to the robust TIFF lineup. Previously, the festival had announced 17 other galas and special premieres, including Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” Derek Cianfrance’s “Roofman,” Steven Soderbergh’s “The Christophers,” Agnieszka Holland’s “Franz,” Paul Greengrass’ “The Lost Bus” and Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” The festival will open with Colin Hanks’ documentary “John Candy: I Like Me.”

More than 30 of the newly announced films will be world premieres. Those include “Driver’s Ed,...

As the fall festivals begin to roll out their lineups (a phrase you’ll be seeing a lot of on IndieWire in the coming days), a word of both caution and delight: don’t forget about the festival films that have already premiered elsewhere, from Sundance to Cannes. The Toronto International Film Festival certainly has not, as today’s full lineup of Gala and Special Presentations includes plenty of previously-premiered films that are already ranking among the year’s best.

We’re talking Sundance standouts like Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and Clint Bentley’s “Train Dreams,” plus Cannes hits likes Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” Mascha Schilinski’s “Sound of Falling,” Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident,” Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” and Óliver Laxe’s “Sirāt.”

And today’s announcement also includes world premieres like Aziz Ansari’s “Good Fortune,” Maude Apatow’s “Poetic License,...

The Toronto Film Festival has unveiled new star-driven Gala and Special Presentations titles, including Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, Maude Apatow’s Poetic License, Isabel Coixet’s Three Goodbyes, David Michod’s Christy, James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg and Alice Winocour’s Couture.

Set for the buzzy red carpet at Roy Thomson Hall are world premieres for Bobby Farrelly’s road trip comedy Driver’s Ed, which stars Alyssa Milano, Kumail Nanjani and Molly Shannon; Russell Crowe’s Nazi thriller Nuremberg from director James Vanderbilt and Sony Pictures Classics, with the historical drama also starring Rami Malek, Michael Shannon and Leo Woodall; Succession actor Brian Cox bringing his directorial debut Glenrothan, where he stars alongside Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson in a film about estranged brothers looking to save a family whisky distillery; and David Freyne’s romantic comedy Eternity for A24, which stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen and Callum Turner.

Days after announcing its gala world premieres, the Toronto International Film Festival has just expanded its lineup with a slate of new films featuring A-listers and Oscar winners. On Monday, the festival announced the highly anticipated debuts of movies starring Keanu Reeves, Vince Vaughn, Seth Rogen, Saoirse Ronan, Dustin Hoffman, and Al Pacino, underscoring the festival’s reputation as a crucial spring board for award-season contenders.

Tuner

The film, starring Hoffman and Leo Woodall, is directed by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher (Navalny) in his feature debut. It follows a former piano prodigy (Woodall) who, down on his luck, uses his extraordinary auditory skills to help a found family figure (Hoffman). The cast also includes Havana Rose Liu and Lior Raz.

Christy

Sydney Sweeney stars as trailblazing professional boxer Christy Martin in this drama directed by David Michôd. Based on a true story, the film chronicles Martin’s meteoric rise...

Smurfs North America Box Office Day 1(Photo Credit –Facebook)

The Paramount Pictures animated musical Smurfs has been released in theaters and is reportedly the reboot of the Smurfs film series. Sony previously produced four live-action animated films, which gained a lot of popularity among the audience. However, this latest addition did not land so hot in the theaters, earning the lowest opening day collection at the North American box office. Read on for more box office deets.

It received mixed to negative reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes platform. The critics gave it just 21% on Tomatometer, stating, “Antic and zany without being particularly fun, this incarnation of Smurfs just isn’t the smurfest tool in the shed.” The audience rating is also not too flashy, as they gave it an average of 68% on the popcorn meter.

Smurfs’ box office collection on day 1 in North America

According to the data provided by Box Office Mojo,...

The new Smurfs movie isn't having the best success, coming up short with its reviews from critics and box office return. However, there's still a key win that the film managed to earn.

At the box office, James Gunn's Superman is flying high at the top, holding onto the No. 1 spot with around $57 million earned in its second weekend. Jurassic World Rebirth will take the No. 2 spot with $23 million, per The Numbers. This leaves the Smurfs reboot competing with the horror legacy sequel I Know What You Did Last Summer for No. 3, and the latter has the edge after a $5.8 million opening day, compared to $3.9 million for the former.

By the end of the weekend, Smurfs is estimated to earn about $12 million. That's a far cry from its hefty budget, which was reportedly around $58 million. Earning a profit looks to be an uphill battle at this point. Complicating that...

Feeling a little blue? “Smurfs” might be able to help you there — or at least empathize with the feeling.

Directed by Chris Miller, the latest take on the little blue creatures has arrived, and this time, there’s not just Gargamel to worry about. In this movie, the little blue creatures have to worry about Gargamel and Razamel.

It’s the latest family movie offering this summer, though it is rated PG. Here’s everything you need to know.

What’s the release date?

“Smurfs” hits theaters everywhere on July 18.

Is “Smurfs” streaming?

It is not. For now, you’ll only be able to catch “Smurfs” in theaters. After its theatrical run, it’ll likely head to Paramount+. We’ll keep you posted on when that’ll be.

Who voices the Smurfs this time?

This “Smurfs” cast includes Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, Jp Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne,...

With Natasha Lyonne joining a franchise based on a beloved ’80s childhood classic, the Smurfs star was up for any role.

The 2x Golden Globe nominee revealed how she got the voice role of Mama Poot in the new animated feature adaptation, which is now in theaters, and how she feels about comparisons to the character.

“So, they said, ‘You wanna be a Smurf in a Smurfs picture?’ It’s an email, I say, reply all, ‘Sure, who doesn’t?’ I mean, it’s not Strawberry Shortcake, but I’ll take it,” she recounted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Fallon confirmed, “Oh, Rihanna is Smurfette?”

Lyonne quipped, “Turns out, I’m not. I’m a character called Mama Poot. Well, it’s okay. I’m older now, and that’s what they mean. ‘Women, don’t age in Hollywood or you’ll become Mama Poot.’ The character they...

James Gunn’s Superman leapt past the $300 million mark at the worldwide box office on Thursday as it heads into its second weekend. That number includes an impressive domestic haul of $177.7 million after enjoying strong midweek business.

The DC Studios and Warner Bros. superhero pic will have no trouble staying atop the chart in its sophomore outing and is trouncing new offerings I Know What You Did Last Summer and Smurfs. Both films are reboots, and are projected to open to less than $13 million domestically.

From Sony’s Screen Gems, the R-rated horror pic I Know What You Did Last Summer earned $2.2 million in Thursday previews. While Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise their roles from the original films, the new installment otherwise introduces a host of newcomers to the series, including Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon and Gabbriette Bechtel.

Set three...

The latest big screen outing for the lovable Blue-hued Sumurfs is out in cinemas today, and we had the chance to sit down with the film’s director and main cast to talk all this Smurf. Directed by Chris Miller; starring Rihanna (Smurfette), John Goodman (Papa Smurf), James Corden (No Name), Nick Offerman, Jp Karliak, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Ersine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, and Kurt Russell.

Enough yakking! Here are the smurfing interviews.

The wonderful DaniElle DeLaite sat down with legends John Goodman and Nick Offerman as they bring their iconic voices (and a good dose of mischief) to the colourful world of the Smurfs in this hilarious and heartwarming interview. From their unique voice acting methods to why the Smurfs have stood the test of time, this conversation is as charming as it is unexpected.

“Smurfs” is the new CG-animated musical feature, directed by Chris Miller and Matt Landon, starring pop singer Rihanna as the voice of ‘Smurfette’, opening July 18, 2025 in theaters:

“…when ‘Papa Smurf’ (John Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards,‘Razamel’ and ‘Gargamel’…

“…Smurfette’ (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him.

“With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.”

Voice cast also includes Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Jp Karliak, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Nick Kroll…

…James Corden, Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham, Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña and Kurt Russell.

Click the images to enlarge…...

The stars of Smurfs are stepping out in New York City!

Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, and John Goodman posed for photos together on the top of the Empire State Building on Wednesday afternoon (July 16).

The stars also helped light up while they promoted their new animated movie.

Here’s a synopsis of the new movie, in theaters July 18: When Papa Smurf (Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.

The voice cast also includes James Corden, Jp Karliak, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, and Kurt Russell.

Smurfs hits theaters on Friday, July 18. Watch the trailer here!

Click through the...

The past two years have been great for animation. Last year, half of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2024 were animated: Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Despicable Me 4, Mufasa: The Lion King, and Kung Fu Panda 4,with all but two earning Fresh scores on Rotten Tomatoes, with Despicable Me 4 and Mufasa just narrowly missing the mark at 56%.

Animation has reigned supreme once again in 2025, with China's animated movie Ne Zha 2 ranking as the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide with over $2 billion at the box office. Meanwhile, KPop Demon Hunters is dominating Netflix. Dreamworks' Dog Man, which debuted in January, was a modest success that earned an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score and made over $145 million at the box office.

Elio, despite its 82% Rotten Tomatoes score, debuted to only $20 million at the box office, the lowest opening weekend ever for a Pixar movie. Now, a new animated movie has...

While Superman will quite easily remain at #1 heading into its second weekend in theaters, the Dcu movie is set to face competition from new releases, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Smurfs.

All three movies will attract vastly different audiences, and Jurassic World Rebirth should continue to pose a problem for all of the above. Still, helping Superman is the largely negative critical reception to I Know What You Did Last Summer and Smurfs.

Despite glowing social media reactions, the horror reboot has arrived on Rotten Tomatoes with a "Rotten" 46% score. The reviews are all over the place; Deadline, for example, writes, "A vapid, utterly hollow husk of revival. And when it isn’t copy-pasting lines straight out of Hewitt’s mouth it resorts to an almost impressively high level of pandering to its Gen Z audience."

Nerdist countered that with, "I Know What You Did Last Summer carves up laughs,...

The new Smurfs film might boast a star-studded cast led by Rihanna, James Corden, and John Goodman, but it appears that critics are not smurfing with the latest reboot. While the new animated musical tries to leverage the strength of its cast and its eye-popping visuals, Smurfs is being lambasted for another tonally messy ride to the Smurfs' village.

As of this writing, Smurfs has a 25% rating based on 32 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The low rating is not entirely shocking, as the previous live-action films have scored equally low, with The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2 sporting 21% and 14%, respectively. Of course, the score for the 2025 film will likely continue to fluctuate throughout the week after its theatrical debut in theaters. The Smurfs' fortunes could turn as families take their kids to the theaters, possibly contributing to a higher-than-average audience score. However, all signs point to another disappointing take on the Smurfs,...

Ken (Nick Offerman), Hefty Smurf (Alex Winter), Smurfette (Rihanna), No Name (James Corden), and Brainy Smurf (Xolo Mariduena) in ‘Smurfs’ (Smurfs & © Peyo – 2025 Lic. Lafig B./Imps © 2025 Par. Pics)

Those cute little blue creatures, the Smurfs, are back for another big-screen adventure in Smurfs, the 2025 film that serves as a reboot of the franchise.

Smurfs opens with a big musical production number set to the new song “Everything Goes with Blue,” with all the Smurfs dancing while paying close attention to Smurfette (voiced by Rihanna), who always steals the show. The Smurfs are happy and enjoying themselves, all except for a newbie called No Name (voiced by James Corden), who still doesn’t have his thing—the way Grouchy Smurf is grouchy and Clumsy Smurf is…well…clumsy. Papa Smurf (voiced by John Goodman) assures No Name he just needs more time to find his thing.

Noticing No Name is still feeling down,...

The latest attempt to jumpstart the iconic Smurfs franchise back to boxoffice life, Smurfs, will be perfectly acceptable fodder to keep the kiddies amused, and because of its original 80’s Saturday Morning cartoon series, just might provide enough nostalgia to make it bearable for their parents. For me however, even though the Smurfs was the Belgian creation of comics artist Peyo in 1958, when it hit paydirt I was well beyond the generation that would appreciate it most. My memory of the Smurfs was not so admiring as I was, in another life, writing children’s television when the series was a smash and one of my gigs at NBC was to craft interstitial vignettes with the casts of the network’s popular sitcoms as the glue that held their Saturday morning kids lineup intact. One of them was not exactly a sitcom but the animated Smurfs and my assignment was...

If you’ve caught even the slightest glimpse of the marketing for the new Smurfs movie, you know exactly what it’s banking on: Rihanna. As the voice of Smurfette—and a producer on the project—the global superstar’s name dominates posters and trailers, hinting at a bold, musical reinvention of the beloved blue creatures.

This animated feature, directed by Chris Miller and written by Pam Brady, serves as a reboot for the franchise based on the comic book series created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo.

The latest offering wisely sidesteps the live-action films from 2011 and 2013, and the 2017 animated sequel, to offer a fresh start. Unfortunately, despite flashes of charm and an impressive cast list, Smurfs never quite knows what kind of movie it wants to be, resulting in an admittedly visually striking, but tonally muddled adaptation.

The peaceful Smurf village is thrown into chaos when the evil...

In 2018, Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse pioneered an animation approach that rejected conventional 3D modeling in favor of something closer to hand-drawn art, turning the film into a megahit and kickstarting the current multiverse craze. Predictably, other studios have taken note of the association in our minds between that style and the promise of artistic innovation. But unlike, say, DreamWorks breathing new life into Puss in Boots with The Last Wish, Chris Miller’s Smurfs marks a shift in this trend where the style, once synonymous with boundless creativity, has become nothing more than a marketing ploy.

Smurfs, at every turn, is a film that only half-commits to its promotional promises. Advertised as a pop musical featuring new Rihanna music (currently a scarce commodity), the film contains a whopping three musical numbers. While ostensibly a star-studded ensemble piece, the film relegates its supporting cast to a handful of quips...

It’s been eight years since the last theatrical Smurfs movie, and you know what that means. A whole new crop of very young children are primed to experience their favorite animated characters on the big screen. Unfortunately, what they’re getting is Paramount’s new reboot featuring the sort of ridiculously overstuffed big-name cast whose names will mean absolutely nothing to them but will provide some reassurance to their adult chaperones, who would no doubt prefer to be watching the new I Know What You Did Last Summer at the adjoining multiplex theater.

Not-so-imaginatively titled Smurfs, this latest incarnation represents the sort of charmless, wildly chaotic animated effort that has the unintended effect of reminding us why cutting publicly funded children’s television is such a terrible idea. It’s directed by Chris Miller (Puss in Boots, Shrek the Third), who also voices Grouchy Smurf. Watching the movie makes...

Xtr, the premium nonfiction film and television studio, and Futurism Studios, the film and television arm of online tech and science forum Futurism, today announced “Age of Audio,” a new documentary exploring the resurgence of audio storytelling as it grows from a vivid passion to an extraordinary worldwide industry. As the podcast industry continues to gain popularity, media creators and brands have turned to podcasts as a new form of storytelling. Xtr and Futurism Studios partnered to create “Age of Audio” to showcase the comeback within the art of audio storytelling.

There are an estimated 86 million podcast listeners in the U.S. who are incorporating the medium into their daily lives from entertainment programs and talk shows to news broadcasts (Statistics). “Age of Audio” is an in-depth look at the podcast industry, examining how what we listen to influences everything we do. The documentary takes viewers through the history of...

Rihanna is thrilled that Smurfs is "finally being birthed".The 37-year-old star voices the part of Smurfette in the new animated movie, and Rihanna is delighted that her kids can now finally enjoy the movie.The chart-topping singer - who has RZA, three, and Riot, 23 months, with A$AP Rocky - told Extra: "We get to watch the movie together for the first time. I get to watch it in its full completion. So, that should be interesting. "Everybody gets to watch it on the 18th. So, we're really going for it now. It's finally being birthed."Rihanna - who stars in the new movie alongside the likes of James Corden, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel, Octavia Spencer, Alex Winter, and Hannah Waddingham - admitted that the film's premiere felt "so far away" when the project began.She said: "We've been working on it for so long. So, like, a few years now,...

Getting Rihanna to star in the new Smurfs movie may seem like a big ask, but it turns out that may have been the easiest part of the process for director Chris Miller.

The superstar voices Smurfette in the animated film, along with serving as a producer and recording original music for the project. At the Los Angeles premiere on Sunday, Miller joked to The Hollywood Reporter that he would love to take credit for bringing Rihanna in, but the reality was “Rihanna wanted to play Smurfette in the Smurfs movie, she was pursuing it and wanting it. Talking to her, it became clear almost immediately like, ‘Oh, you have to be Smurfette. You have to bring your perspective, your own voice, your authenticity to the character.'”

In addition to doing two songs for the film, Miller also points to “a lot of needledrops, beautiful sonic landscapes that Rihanna...

Rihanna walked the “Smurfs” blue carpet at the movie’s Los Angeles premiere on Sunday with her and A$AP Rocky’s sons RZA and Riot in tow.

It was quite the fashion affair for the trio.

Rihanna, who is pregnant with her and A$AP’s third child, wore a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello dress while the little ones were dressed in custom Dior by Jonathan Anderson. The famous family, who arrived about 90 minutes after the screening actually ended, was greeted by Smurf characters.

“This is not just for the kids,” Rihanna, who stars as Smurfette in the movie, told me. “I’m going to be a little selfish on this one because I’m a superfan of the Smurfs. I’ve always been a fan. I’m really excited for a new generation of Smurfs fans.”

We joked about A$AP being in a sequel, with RiRi...

Los Angeles, California – July 13: Rihanna attends the “Smurfs” U.S. Premiere at Paramount Pictures Studios on July 13, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) Get ready to paint the town blue! The iconic little blue creatures have officially made a huge splash in Los Angeles, celebrating the Smurftastic Premiere of Smurfs right on the legendary Paramount Lot! The event was filled with star power as talented individuals came together to rejoice in the festivities of the evening. The guest list included the likes of Los Angeles, California – July 13: Hannah Waddingham and Nick Offerman (C) with Smurfs attend the “Smurfs” U.S. Premiere at Paramount Pictures Studios on July 13, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) Rihanna, John Goodman, Nick Offerman, Jp Karliak, Amy Sedaris, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, and Xolo Maridueña. Director Chris Miller also graced the occasion,...

Billie Lourd is having a night out with her husband Austen Rydell!

The 32-year-old actress walked the carpet with Austen at the premiere of her new animated movie Smurfs on Sunday (July 13) at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.

Billie is voicing the role of Worry Smurf in the new reboot of the franchise.

Also in attendance at the premiere were co-stars Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, John Goodman, Amy Sedaris, Alex Winter, and Xolo Mariduena. Rihanna, who voices the role of Smurfette, was also there and we have lots of photos of her with the kids on the red carpet!

Here’s a synopsis of the new movie, in theaters July 18: When Papa Smurf (Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what...

With the forthcoming July 18 release of Smurfs, the Belgian-created comic book characters created by Peyo (née Pierre Culliford) return to the silver screen. In the animated/live-action musical reboot, Rihanna leads an all-star cast, which includes Xolo Maridueña (Brainy Smurf), John Goodman (Papa Smurf), Hannah Waddingham (Jezebeth) and Nick Offerman (Ken), who attended today’s red carpet premiere in a sea of blue characters at Los Angeles’ Paramount Pictures Studios.

Additional cast members include Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Jimmy Kimmel, Nick Kroll, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Kurt Russell, James Corden, Jp Karliak, Alex Winter and others.

Written by Pam Brady and helmed by Chris Miller, the family friendly movie unfolds as Papa Smurf is kidnapped by evil wizards and Smurfette must spearhead a mission into the real world to save him.

Jay Brown, Ty Ty Smith, Robyn Rihanna Fenty and Ryan Harris produce.

Since...

“Smurfs” is the new CG-animated musical feature, directed by Chris Miller and Matt Landon, starring pop singer Rihanna as the voice of ‘Smurfette’, opening July 18, 2025 in theaters:

“…when ‘Papa Smurf’ (John Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards,‘Razamel’ and ‘Gargamel’, ‘Smurfette’ (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him.

“With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.”

Voice cast also includes Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Jp Karliak, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham, Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña and Kurt Russell.

Click the images to enlarge…

</div...

If you were watching “Superman” and found yourself thinking, “That Rex fella sure seems familiar somehow,” you would be correct!

The transmutating metahuman Rex Mason, aka Metamorpho, is a scene-stealer in James Gunn’s DC reboot; a surprisingly heartfelt creature (though perhaps there’s nothing less surprising than a soulful would-be monster in a James Gunn movie) capable of turning himself into any substance … including Kryptonite.

Here’s everything to know about who was under all the makeup, prosthetics and effects.

Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk and Anthony Carrigan at the “Superman” premiere (Getty Images) Who plays Rex, aka Metamorpho, in “Superman”?

Actor Anthony Carrigan plays Rex — and if you had trouble spotting that in the credits, it’s probably because the character is called “Rex” for most of the film, but credited as “Metamorpho” in the end scroll.

Audiences will most likely recognize Carrigan from his three-time Emmy-nominated performance as...

Tony Award-winning performers Victoria Clark and Bd Wong and nominated playwrights Jocelyn Bioh, Jordan E. Cooper, Joshua Harmon, and James Ijames are among the 64 theater experts who will decide the nominees for the 2026 Tony Awards.

The 2025-26 Broadway season's Nominating Committee features a total of 21 new members, including Bioh and Harmon, who both earned Tony nominations in the Best Play category in 2024 for Jaja’s African Hair Braiding and Prayer for the French Republic, respectively. Other newcomers include A Strange Loop star and Tony nominee L Morgan Lee and Wong, who won the Featured Actor in a Play award in 1988 for M. Butterfly. Each committee member serves a three-year term, though the three years do not need to be consecutive.

Nominators need not be past Tony nominees or winners. The Tony Administration Committee invites an array of practitioners from Broadway and beyond who have past or present professional or...

Keanu Reeves and his band Dogstar are headed back to the Los Angeles concert stage. The group is set to headline the 1,100-capacity Regent Theater downtown on Friday, July 18. A ticket presale is on now at Ticketmaster.

So far it’s the only show listed on the band’s website, which touts the trio’s 2023 album Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees. Watch lyric videos for Dogstar’s “Everything Turns Around” and “Glimmer” below.

Reeves plays bass for the group, which formed in the early 1990s with Gregg Miller on guitar and vocals and Rob Mailhouse on drums. Guitarist and singer Bret Domrose joined in 1994, and the group recorded an EP and toured before Miller left in 1995. Now a trio, its debut album, Our Little Visionary, came out in 1996. Sophomore disc Happy Ending arrived in 2000, but the band split in 2002.

Fast-forward two decades, and Dogstar resurfaced and started to play live again.

When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.

Smurfs features an all-star voice cast including Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, Jp Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Marshmello, with Kurt Russell and John Goodman.

Directed by Chris Miller, Smurfs opens in theaters on July 18.

Based on the Characters and Works of Peyo.

https://www.smurfs.movie

Wamg is giving away to our St. Louis area readers eight (8) family 4-packs of passes.

The special Smurf-Tastic advance screening is on B&b West Olive Creve Coeur 10 this Saturday, July 12th at 11:00 Am. (tons of free...

Keanu Reeves has starred in romances, comedies, monster movies, Shakespeare productions, sci-fi spectaculars, action bonanzas, time travel films, addiction dramas, horror flicks, hengehog adventures, shoot-em-ups, and at least one "SpongeBob" movie. Although he doesn't possess a lot of range as an actor, his personal sense of devotion -- not to mention his relentless decency as a human being -- has fans coming back again and again. He has always seemed interested in variety in his career, equally at peace acting in major blockbusters and tiny low-budget dramas. He has also seemingly valued working with quirky, interesting directors, having acted for the Wachowskis, Ron Howard, Stephen Frears, Kathryn Bigelow, Francis Ford Coppola, Bernardo Bertolucci, Kenneth Branagh, Sam Raimi, Eli Roth, Ana Lily Amirpour, Nicholas Winding Refn, and Alex Winter. 

In the early '90s, Reeves made two films with Gus Van Sant, then considered a new voice on the ever-expanding indie movie scene.

Stars: Désiré Mia, Andy Allo, Mario D’Leon, Alex Winter, Patton Oswalt, Junes Zahdi, Julie Ann Emery, Olunike Adeliyi, Alok Vaid-Menon, John Siciliano | Written and Directed by Lexi Alexander

Absolute Dominion, directed by Lexi Alexander, is a sci-fi action film that ambitiously blends martial arts, dystopian world-building, and socio-political commentary on religion and power. Now there is a sentence I didn’t see myself writing when I woke up this morning.

In a future ravaged by religious wars, Absolute Dominion gives us a fairly controversial yet completely on the pulse premise. Imagine a religious Mortal Kombat tournament where representatives of various faiths (even an atheist organisation) fight to determine the world’s sole religion, thereby restoring peace because ‘One Religion = No War’. Try to understand that we are attempting to blend some truly high-concept ideas with visceral, punchy-kicky action. Well now you have my attention, no spoilers right now but despite...

A new featurette entitled“It Takes a Smurf Village” has been released by Paramount Pictures prior to the release of Smurfs. The film will be in theaters on July 18, 2025!

Synopsis: When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.

About The Film

Genre: Family, Comedy, Animation Cast: Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, Jp Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Marshmello, with Kurt Russell and John Goodman Director: Chris Miller Screenplay: Pam Brady Produced by: Jay Brown, Ty Ty Smith, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, Ryan Harris, p.g.a.

Smurfs is only in theatres on July 18, 2025!

For More Information,...