Amazon Prime Video has released the first trailer for its upcoming TV series, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. While this is a familiar title for most people, the new iteration looks a lot different from the original 2005 film starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. With a new storyline, a diverse cast, and about a zillion A-list guest stars set to appear, the new Prime series looks like a seriously good time!
Out with the old, in with the new
Readers of a certain age might recall that the 2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith was the film that sparked an affair between Pitt and Jolie, leading to the very public breakup of Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s marriage. (Team Aniston forever!)
The movie was about a gorgeous, wealthy married couple who discover that they are both secret assassins who work for competing agencies. The plot thickens when they learn they’ve both been hired to kill the other, leading to lots of explosions and sexy fight scenes. In retrospect, now we know why the sexual tension between the lead actors was almost palpable to viewers, giving a rather mediocre script a major boost.
The new Mr. & Mrs. Smith is not a reboot, but a reimagining of the married spy theme. The eight-episode series was co-created and executive produced by Donald Glover, who also stars as John Smith, and Francesca Sloane (Atlanta, Fargo). Maya Erskine, who co-created and co-starred in the comedy series PEN15, plays his wife, Jane Smith.
What’s the new plot?
John and Jane are strangers who both get jobs at the same spy agency. Their new roles promise them a luxurious and exciting life they always dreamed of having, but there’s a catch: they have to get married in order to fulfill their assignments as Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Each episode features the newlyweds tackling a new high-stakes mission while getting to know each other for the first time. After living through enough stressful near-death experiences, it makes sense that they eventually start feeling affection, possibly even love for one another. But can they ever learn to truly trust each other while leading such duplicitous lives?
Glover and Erskine are backed up by an all-star supporting cast
The list of guest stars appearing in Mr. & Mrs. Smith reads like a who’s who of Hollywood’s best: Parker Posey, Wagner Moura, Michaela Coel, John Turturro, Paul Dano, Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd, Eiza González, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, Ron Perlman, Billy Campbell, and Ursula Corbero. Director Hiro Murai, a frequent collaborator of Glover’s, directs the first two episodes.
The new series is the culmination of many years of work. Glover originally teamed up with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was set to star opposite him as Jane Smith. Creative differences in 2021 caused Waller-Bridge to step away from the project, telling Vanity Fair, “I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it—still care about it. And I know it’s gonna be brilliant. But sometimes it’s about knowing when to leave the party. You don’t want to get in the way of a vision. Creative collaboration is like a marriage, and some marriages don’t work out.”
When and where to watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith
All eight episodes of Mr. & Mrs. Smith will premiere on February 2, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video. Try not to binge them all at once!
(featured image: Amazon Prime Video)
