James R | On 11, Sep 2021

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has departed Amazon Prime Video’s Mr and Mrs Smith series.

The show is based on the 2005 film starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, which followed a struggling married couple who are both secretly spies without each other’s knowledge – but then found themselves hired to kill each other.

Announced earlier this year, Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge were attached to the project to both star in and executive produce. The announcement marked a reunion for Glover and Waller-Bridge, who starred together as Lando Calrissian and droid L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars Story. It also mark a reunion for Waller-Bridge and Amazon Studios, which picked up her hit BBC series Fleabag as an Amazon Original in the USA, while Glover worked with Amazon Studios for his musical film Guava Island.

Now, however, Waller-Bridge has exited the reboot, which is reported due to creative differences. Glover will still star in and exec-produce the series, with the female lead role set to be re-cast.

Francesca Sloane (Atlanta) is co-creator of the series with Glover. Sloane is also exec-producing, along with Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer from New Regency, which was behind the 2005 film. Glover, Waller-Bridge and Sloane all have separate overall deals in place with Amazon Studios.

 

Mr and Mrs Smith: Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge team up for Amazon series

13th February 2021

Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are teaming up for Mr and Mrs Smith, a new series for Amazon Prime Video.

The show is based on the 2005 film starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, which followed a struggling married couple who are both secretly spies without each other’s knowledge – but then found themselves hired to kill each other. Glover and Waller-Bridge will star in and executive produce the series.

Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke broke the news of the project on social media last night.

“Talk about the dream team! Donald and Phoebe are two of the most talented creators and performers in the world. It’s truly a dream for us, as it will be for our global audience, to have these two forces of nature collaborating as a powerhouse creative team,” Salke said in a statement. “Mr and Mrs. Smith is an iconic property, and we can’t wait to see how Donald, Phoebe and Francesca make it their own. We’re thrilled to be working with them, and with such great partners at New Regency.”

The announcement marks a reunion for Glover and Waller-Bridge, who starred together as Lando Calrissian and droid L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars Story. It also mark a reunion for Waller-Bridge and Amazon Studios, which picked up her hit BBC series Fleabag as an Amazon Original in the USA, while Glover worked with Amazon Studios for his musical film Guava Island.

Francesca Sloane co-created the series and will serve as showrunner, while New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer and Wells Street Films’ Jenny Robins will executive produce.

Milchan and Schaefer commented: “Having had the pleasure of successful collaborations with the incredibly talented Donald Glover, most recently on Guava Island, we all started talking about other projects to do together and when he suggested the idea of a new take and iteration on the New Regency film, Mr & Mrs. Smith, we jumped at the chance to get going right away. Adding Phoebe and her company Wells Street Films as a collaborator and co-star takes everything up another level and makes the project worthy of a reimagining for both new audiences and past fans of the original film. We are so excited to be working with Donald, Phoebe, Francesca and the entire team at Amazon Studios.”

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