There Shall Be a ‘Smurfs’ Sequel

We didn't mind "The Smurfs" as much as many critics did. Sure, it's not that good, but we thought Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays (a.k.a. mini-Anna Faris) were pretty charming in it, and once Hollywood realizes that we're sick to death of George Lopez doing voices in kids' movies then we'll all be better off. So with the film doing boffo business, it's no surprise that Sony senses they have a new franchise on their hand, quickly setting a release date for "The Smurfs 2."

The studio revealed today that the sequel will come out August 2, 2013. To put that in context, it will hit theaters a month after "Thor 2" and "Despicable Me 2." Were you unhappy with all the sequels this summer? Well, it looks like you'd better get used to that being a trend for quite some time.

Sony hasn't said what "The Smurfs 2" will be about, though it seems like it would be a no-brainer for Harris and Mays to now enter the world of Smurf Village after the Smurfs had to survive New York City in the first film. If they wanted to "go dark" for the sequel, however, may we suggest they do a feature-length version of "The Purple Smurfs," a 12-minute episode from the original '80s animated show in which the Smurfs are overrun by a virus that turns them into angry zombie-like, purple-skinned critters? Looking back, this might have been our first encounter with post-apocalyptic hellscapes. Sure, this episode doesn't seem that scary, but imagine watching it when you were six. It'll really smurf you up.

Sony sets release date for 'Smurfs 2' [Inside Movies/Entertainment Weekly]