Amazon Studios has announced that their upcoming series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, originally scheduled to be released in November, will now be launching in 2024. While it is unconfirmed if the change is related to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it’s perhaps fair to assume that they will have had an impact, given that Amazon would most likely prefer its stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine were available to promote the show, which will stream on Prime Video. Current guidelines prevent the stars from any marketing or promotion while the strikes are ongoing.
In February 2021, Prime Video confirmed its plans to produce a series reboot of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a retooled idea from the original 2005 film. The original movie centered on a married couple portrayed by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who, beneath the facade of a perfect marriage, were actually skilled assassins concealing their true identities. When a mission goes awry, both organisations assign them new targets: each other. Amazon released the following synopsis about the series:
Meet the Smiths: Two strangers, John and Jane, who have given up their identities to be thrown together as partners—in espionage and in marriage. Matched by a mysterious agency, each episode follows them on a new mission and new milestone in their relationship. When the cracks begin to show through, they must fight to stay together. Because in this marriage, divorce is not an option.
The History of the Project’s Development
When Amazon initially unveiled the project, it was set to be a collaborative effort between Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, with both of them taking on co-creator and starring roles in the series. However, in September 2021, Waller-Bridge made the decision to depart from the series, citing creative divergences with Glover as the primary factor behind her departure. Her exit created an opening, and in April 2022, Erskine was cast to fill the void.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair (via The Hollywood Reporter), Waller-Bridge opened up about the decision to leave the series. “I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it — still care about it,” the writer-actress said. “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.”
Mr. and Mrs. Smith will now premiere in 2024, with a further release date to be announced, which Collider will bring you as soon as details become available.
via Collider