One of Prime Video‘s most anticipated series finally has a release date: all eight episodes of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” premiere on February 4, 2024. But star and co-creator Donald Glover had never seen Doug Liman‘s 2005 film with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie before a producer friend snagged the rights. And IndieWire (via EW) reports that Glover got why the action rom-com is so “iconic,” but he didn’t understand the story at all.
For those who haven’t seen Liman’s film, Pitt and Jolie star as a couple of spies who get married without knowing the other is a spy until they’re contracted to kill each other. As the couple dodge bullets, they also save their marriage. But while Glover was aware of the film’s star appeal, he never watched it. “I had never seen the movie, which I know was sacrilege,” Glover told EW. “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.”
So Glover got in touch with his brother and writing partner Stephen Glover for a second opinion about the film. “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?’” Well, what Glover wanted for his series was an update to the premise that examined contemporary marriage issues more seriously. “Why do people even get married anymore? Half of it ends in divorce — what’s the purpose?” Glover explained. “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? The movie wasn’t about that.”
Glover co-creates “Mr. & Mrs Smith” with Francesca Sloane, and stars alongside Maya Erskine. In the series, Glover and Erskine play two strangers assigned by their secret spy agency to go undercover as a married duo. “It’s definitely going to be different for a lot of people, which I think is good,” Glover said about the show. “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.’” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” also stars Parker Posey, Wagner Moura, Paul Dano, John Turturro, and Michaela Coel.
As noted earlier, Glover’s latest series premieres on Prime Video on February 4, 2024. And Glover has more in the pipeline, too, like the upcoming “Community” movie and the “Lando” movie he’s co-penning with his brother Stephen. But “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” arrives first; stay tuned for the show’s first tariler.