Current:Home > NewsDonald Glover says fans will be 'shocked' by 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' TV series -FundTrack
Donald Glover says fans will be 'shocked' by 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' TV series
View
Date:2025-04-16 18:21:59
Donald Glover knows he's no Brad Pitt, and in his new "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" series, he's not trying to be.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor and show's co-creator talks about the moody new show that is "going to be different for a lot of people."
The eight-episode series, to premiere early next year on Amazon Prime Video, stars Glover opposite "Pen15" star Maya Erskine. The "Atlanta" actor said he's hoping for strong reactions to the series.
"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," he said. "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,'" he continued.
Co-created by Glover and "Atlanta" writer Francesca Sloane, the series follows Glover and Erskine as the titular spy couple, originally played by Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the 2005 film of the same name.
'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' show plot: Couple now strangers in arranged spy marriage
The plot in the reboot is completely different, and takes a deeper approach to the spy thriller.
In the film, the married couple realize they're both spies working for rival agencies and have been hired to kill each other. In the show, two lonely strangers sign up for a mysterious spy agency, unaware their new identities would be as a married couple.
The arranged marriage of sorts is tested while on high-stakes missions throughout the series.
"I had never seen the movie, which I know was sacrilege," Glover told the outlet, adding that he decided to check it out after a producer friend acquired the rights. "I watched it and honestly, I was like, 'I don't understand it.' I mean, I get why it's iconic because of the people starring in it — it's just two gorgeous people in this situation. But the story I didn't quite understand. I called my brother and he was like, 'This is just a great date movie. It's boys vs. girls. What else do you want?'"
Glover said he wanted a deeper approach to the show, about marriage and relationships.
"Why do people even get married anymore? Half of it ends in divorce — what's the purpose?" Glover said. "Let's make a show dealing with relationships, but from this point of view, centering more on really what a marriage is and trust and teamwork and loneliness and all that stuff. I just wanted it to be something that spoke to people right now because in a time of abundance, why do we feel lonely?"
'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' show makes iconic spy couple more relatable
Phoebe Waller-Bridge was originally set to play Mrs. Smith and serve as an executive producer before she exited the role for "creative differences."
With Erskine now in the role, she told the publication that she jumped at the chance to play a more relatable version of Jolie's character.
"I tend to play characters that feel like rejects of society, and my Jane felt like it was the reject version of Angelina Jolie," she said. "Angelina and Brad are untouchable in that you can't recreate that, and Donald and I are just so different so it felt exciting to play a couple that you might recognize as your friends or yourselves."
But Erskine emphasizes that the show is still very much a spy thriller.
"You get your cake and you get to eat it too, because you get the explosions, the chases, the fight scenes and the sex, but you also get to see the nuances of a relationship, with the fart jokes and what it's like to live with somebody and be annoyed by their mouth noises after being together for six months," she said.
Glover has apparently been watching "The Golden Bachelor," too, comparing the "Smith" reboot to the reality show.
"You watch 'The Golden Bachelor,' and it's such a different show than the regular ('Bachelor') — you actually care about these people, and because they're older, it feels like this may not happen again," he said. "Sorry, I watched 'The Golden Bachelor' last night so it's top of mind, but you hear what I'm saying. It's really about their relationship and can they trust each other? That's all spying is."
How to watch 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' on Amazon Prime Video
All eight episodes of Mr. & Mrs. Smith debut on Feb. 2, 2024, on Amazon Prime Video.
veryGood! (6561)
Related
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Rachel Maddow on Prequel and the rise of the fascist movement in America
- Americans reported $2.7 billion in losses from scams on social media, FTC says
- NFL in London highlights: Catch up on all the big moments from Jaguars' win over Bills
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Why we love Children’s Book World near Philadelphia
- A Russian-born Swede accused of spying for Moscow is released ahead of the verdict in his trial
- 49ers prove Cowboys aren't in their class as legitimate contenders
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Hamas attacks in Israel: Airlines that have suspended flights amid a travel advisory
Ranking
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Hamas attacks in Israel: Airlines that have suspended flights amid a travel advisory
- Latin group RBD returns after 15-year hiatus with a message: Pop is not dead
- Shooting at Pennsylvania community center kills 1 and injures 5 victims
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Israeli hostage crisis in Hamas-ruled Gaza becomes a political trap for Netanyahu
- Some in Congress want to cut Ukraine aid and boost Taiwan’s. But Taiwan sees its fate tied to Kyiv’s
- Timeline of surprise rocket attack by Hamas on Israel
Recommendation
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
Colts QB Anthony Richardson knocked out of game vs. Titans with shoulder injury
An independent inquiry opens into the alleged unlawful killings by UK special forces in Afghanistan
Some in Congress want to cut Ukraine aid and boost Taiwan’s. But Taiwan sees its fate tied to Kyiv’s
Intellectuals vs. The Internet
German far-right leader says gains in state election show her party has ‘arrived’
A Complete Guide to Nick Cannon's Sprawling Family Tree
FBI warns of rising elder fraud crime rates as scammers steal billions in savings each year