Don’t call him a triple threat. Donald Glover is much more than that, and his post Atlanta days are proving to be as unpredictable as possible. The former-and-possibly-future Lando Calrissian scored well with Amazon’s Swarm, which dropped an entire first season to freak everyone out in March 2023. Less than a year later, Glover is back on Amazon while co-creating Mr. And Mrs. Smith alongside Atlanta writer Francesca Sloane.
If there’s anything that Glover can deliver to audiences, it’s that this will definitely not be a straightforward remake of the 2005 film that starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as married assassins. Glover also wrote and stars in this series, which includes a bang-up cast, so let’s dive right in with we know:
Plot
Glover will portray John Smith with Maya Erskine (Blue Eye Samurai, PEN 15) picking up the role of Jane. The show will differ from the film in that the pair doesn’t initially fall in love, grow bored with their marriage, and then fall back in love after learning that they are both high-powered killers. Rather, the show revolves around John and Jane being set up in a fake marriage by their mutual spy agency. They know nothing about each other when the story begins, and she flat-out takes romance off the table.
We shall see if Glover takes the tried-and-true rom-com story route there or turns everything on its head. However, Glover has admitted that he actually never watched the 2005 movie until one of his pals acquired producing rights. As the Childish Gambino virtuoso told Entertainment Weekly, he knows that not watching the “iconic” movie “was sacrilege.” However, he admitted that he “didn’t quite understand” why the movie was such a beloved film, so changes are definitely afoot for the show. Glover also revealed that this show might rile some people up:
“It’s definitely going to be different for a lot of people, which I think is good .. You can always go back and watch the old one, but this one gives you a different feeling. People are definitely going to be shocked. I just know how much people love the other one, so if everybody’s like, ‘Eh,’ we didn’t do a good job. I hope some people are like, ‘This is better than the original,’ and some people are like, ‘This is far worse.'”
Wildly enough, too, Glover told Vulture that The Golden Bachelor was a hit for him, so take that as you will.
Let’s do the synopsis thing:
Two lonely strangers land a job working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travels and a dream brownstone in Manhattan. The catch: new identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. & Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier, espionage or marriage?
Cast
Originally, Glover was set to star alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who apparently received carte blanche status on Amazon after Fleabag‘s success, but Waller-Bridge’s past five years have taken some turns. She left this show, and Maya Erskine — who was already onboard as a writer — hopped into the leading female role. She’ll have better hair than during her PEN15 years.
The cast will be rounded out by action queen Eiza González, the always tantalizing Alexander Skarsgård, and I May Destroy You creator/writer/star Michaela Coel along with John Turturro (who will surely portray a badass) and Paul Dano (who just might portray a punchable character). Their five roles haven’t received too much detailing in public view yet, but please let Michaela Coel be an assassin. And let there be some sort of ridiculous callback to the There Will Be Blood bowling alley scene. C’mon, I have to believe that Donald Glover will not let that opportunity pass without indulgence.
Release Date
As most of us realize, Valentine’s Day is a garbage holiday meant to pressure people into flocking towards flowers and candy on one particularly frigid day in mid-February. Similar cynical vibes will surface in this show when it debuts on February 2, 2024.
Trailer
The below teaser trailer bodes well for this reboot:
Mr. and Mrs. Smith drops three episodes on Feb. 2 with weekly followups.
