Neil Patrick Harris Cast In Smurfs: The Movie

Neil Patrick Harris has been racking up a hell of a lot of cred. He's done well on How I Met Your Mother and has parlayed the geek crowd's young memories of his Doogie Howser, M.D. role into a mature fanbase thanks to appearances in Starship Troopers, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the Harold and Kumar movies and even a star turn hosting the Emmys.

And now he's going to spend that cred on Smurfs: The Movie?

Deadline Hollywood has the scoop on Harris appearing in the film. He won't be a Smurf; instead he'll play the lead live-action character in the live-action CGI hybrid story. The film has reportedly been under development for a few years, and we've only recently begun to learn anything about it. But it's the freakin' Smurfs. Not really rocket science.Raja Gosnell (Scooby Doo and Beverly Hills Chihuahua) directs, and the story involves 'real' characters like the one played by Harris encountering the society of little blue dudes and one blue dudette.

Is it a stretch to think that Neil Patrick Harris might be playing Grace's husband? And, for the love of all that is good, why am I thinking about it even this much? Again, it's the freakin' Smurfs. Three-apple high little mushroom dwellers who fight a wizard named Gargamel. I'm actually sad that Harris is doing this.

Unless he's playing Gargamel. If we get a singing, dancing, cat-petting Neil Patrick Harris as the evil Smurf-hating wizard of this thing, then all may be forgiven.Smurfs: The Movie shoots in April.