Julia Roberts, Michelle Rodriguez, and Ellie Kemper join Smurfs: The Lost Village

By Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya | January 19, 2017 | 4:22pm

Aux Features Film

Julia Roberts, Michelle Rodriguez, and Ellie Kemper join Smurfs: The Lost Village

Smurfs: The Lost Village, the third entry in the animated Smurfs film franchise, already has a teaser trailer, and now it has a Julia Roberts, too. According to /Film, Sony Pictures Animation has announced more cast members for the movie about tiny blue creatures, including Roberts, Michelle Rodriguez, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Ellie Kemper, and Modern Family’s Ariel Winter. Roberts will play SmurfWillow, leader of the Lost Village, a mysterious new land sought out by Smurfette (Demi Lovato), Brainy (Danny Pudi), Clumsy (Jack McBrayer, replacing Anton Yelchin, who died this summer), and Hefty (Joe Manganiello). But the evil wizard Gargamel (Rainn Wilson) also seeks the Lost Village.

The story is based on The Smurfs comic book series, and director Kelly Asbury, who also voices Nosey in the film, said he wanted to return to the look of the original Pierre Culliford comics. Smurfs: The Lost Village also stars Gordon Ramsay, Jake Johnson, Jeff Dunham, Tituss Burgess, Gabriel Iglesias, and Mandy Patinkin as Papa Smurf. The script comes from The Goldbergs and Samantha Who? writers, so maybe it could be the first Smurfs movie that isn’t a pile of blue garbage? The teaser released back in September provides little insight.