Some concepts are just brilliant: ‘Jaws… in space!’ for Alien; ‘What if Nicholas Cage and John Travolta were arch-enemies who swapped faces?’ for Face: Off; ‘What if there were snakes… on a plane?’ for Snakes on a Plane. And one of my favorites was for the 2005 movie Mr & Mrs Smith: what if two spies were married and didn’t know their spouse was also a spy?
The Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie was a lot of fun, and a big part of that was down to the chemistry between the two leads – so I was a bit cynical at the prospect of a TV show remake. Or at least, I was until I heard who’d be playing the titular couple: Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.
I was excited already for a new Prime Video movie, and then I saw the trailer for this upcoming series and got even more excited. This, I think, is going to be great and has a good chance of making the cut for one of the best Prime Video series if we’re to go off the trailer.
The show isn’t afraid to mess with the original pitch. This time around the Smiths aren’t spouses with secrets. They begin as two lonely strangers who answer an ad promising a more interesting life – and in order to enjoy that life, they need to become Mr John and Mrs Jane Smith. Not only do they have to navigate the perils of high-stakes espionage, they need to navigate the perils of marriage too. Will the odd couple overcome their suspicion and fall for one another? And which is more dangerous – being a spy or being a spouse?
The guest cast includes some more stars too. According to The Hollywood Reporter, you can expect to see Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza González, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, Ron Perlman, Billy Campbell, Úrsula Corberó, Paul Dano, Michaela Coel, John Turturro, Parker Posey and Wagner Moura. It’s co-produced by Glover alongside his Atlanta partner Francesca Sloane, whose resume also includes Fargo and who will be the showrunner for this season.
I have to admit, I laughed when I saw the synopsis. It’s a wonderful idea, and between that and the sheer star power on screen this looks like it’s going to be an absolute hoot. All eight episodes are scheduled to drop on Prime Video on February 2, 2024.
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