Left: Smurfette. Image by Michelle O’Connel via Flickr/Creative Commons. Right: Rihanna. Photo by Valerie Macon via AFP/Getty Images.
Last year, on the Debut episode of her Sonic Symbolism podcast, Björk revealed she’s always been determined that her role as a woman in the global electronic music scene not be limited to that of Smurfette — the only female Smurf. “I want to be all the Smurfs,” she declared. “That’s my rebellion.”
As it turns out, that rebellion may have cost her a highly lucrative job. Today, Variety reports, Paramount Animation announced that — in lieu of the Icelandic avant-pop star, who has previously starred in such films as The Northman and Dancer in the Dark — they’ve tapped R&B hitmaker Rihanna for the role of Smurfette in their forthcoming film, The Smurfs Movie. Adding insult to injury, Paramount has also apparently contracted the Barbadian billionaire to write original music for the film.
“I tried to get the Papa Smurf role but It didn’t work out,” Rihanna reportedly joked on stage during a surprise appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas today (Thursday, April 27), no doubt relishing the opportunity to twist the knife in Björk’s back just a little harder. In the same speech, she reportedly confirmed that she is now in her third trimester of pregnancy with her second child. The FADER has reached out to Björk’s team for further comment.
According to Ramsey Naito, the apparently biophobic head of Paramount Animation, the new film will be an exploration of Smurf identity, ultimately asking the tough but essential question, “What is a Smurf?” The blue-tinged, existential drama is scheduled to premiere nationwide on Valentine’s Day 2025.
