“Smurfs,” the popular animated children’s television show will be made into a live action/animated movie by Columbia Pictures and Sony Animation, reports THR.

Raja Gosnell, who directed “Scooby-Doo,” “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,” and 2008’s “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” has signed on to direct.

Jordan Kerner (“Charlotte’s Web”) is producing the J. David Stem and David N. Weiss (“Shrek 2” and “Shrek the Third”) and Audrey Wells (“George of the Jungle”) written script.

Kerner, who has been developing the project for the past seven years, said: “With Raja coming aboard, we now have a brilliant director who has proven time and again that he has a deft touch in blending the worlds of physical comedy and honest emotion with both live action and photo-real animated characters. Our three-apple-high heroes are in good hands, and we feel absolutely positively Smurfy to be working with him.”

The film is set for a 3-D release on Dec 17, 2010.