Harris goes into Smurf territory

Neil Patrick Harris digs the blue people, or at least that’s the impression were getting as he signs on to be the live action lead in the upcoming hybrid movie Smurfs: The Movie, reports Deadline Hollywood. Scooby-Doo and Beverly Hills Chihuahua director Raja Gosnell is helming the picture written by David N. Weiss and J. David Stern.

The adventures of a mythical race of little blue creatures in medieval times that must deal with each other and humans, particularly an evil wizard obsessed with capturing them for his own sinister purposes. Principal photography is expected to start up in April with a projected July 29th, 2011 release date set from Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation. Neil Patrick Harris can be seen on CBS playing Barney in the popular sitcom series How I Met Your Mother.