Donald Glover and Maya Erskine have officially taken over the mantle of espionage spouses in the first teaser trailer for “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” All eight episodes of the Amazon Prime Video series are set to debut on February 2.
“I should be clear. I’m not in this for the romance,” Erskine’s Jane Smith tells Glover’s John Smith in the teaser. That simple sentence is immediately followed by several smoldering looks between the two stars.
The rest of the teaser follows that formula. One second, either Glover or Erskine are acting like they’re not actually interested in their espionage spouse. The next, they’re moments away from kissing. And the next they’re covered in blood, firing huge guns or transporting dead bodies, aka typical spy antics.
Based on the 2005 film of the same name starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, this new version offers a twist on the 2000s formula. Instead of following a marriage between two skilled field operatives, the series follows two strangers who find themselves working for a mysterious spy agency. This new gig will offer them a life full of espionage, wealth, world travel and a dream brownstone in Manhattan, but there’s one catch: they have to assume the identities of married couple, Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith.
The series will follow the couple as they balance their new and haphazard relationship with a new high-risk mission every week. But when the two develop real feelings for each other, the stakes become higher than either could have predicted.
In addition to Glover and Erskine, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” stars 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.
The romantic drama was created by Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover and falls under Glover’s overall deal with Prime Video. Sloane serves as the series’ showrunner.
Originally, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was supposed to star alongside Glover before she pulled out of the project in September of 2021. The following April Erskine took over the role.
Though he’s best known on the TV side for his Emmy-winning FX show “Atlanta,” Glover has partnered with Prime Video on multiple projects. His 2019 musical film directed by Hiro Murai, “Guava Island,” found its home on the platform, and earlier this year Glover debuted “Swarm,” a comedy-horror about the trappings of fame and intensity of fans that he executive produced. In 2021, Glover and his brother and collaborative partner Stephen Glover inked a deal with Amazon that was reportedly in the eight figure range.
As for Erskine, she is best known for co-creating and starring in Hulu’s critically-acclaimed comedy “PEN15,” which features Erskine portraying a version of her 13-year-old self. Recently, Erskine voiced the role of Mizu in Netflix’s “Blue Eye Samurai” and starred as Sully Stark in “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
