Why Phoebe Waller-Bridge Left Donald Glover's Mr. And Mrs. Smith Series At Amazon
Anyone with a scintilla of taste was ecstatic when Amazon announced that Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge were set to create and star in a TV series reboot of the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie blockbuster "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." The pair hit it off, albeit in a somewhat unusual capacity, as Lando Calrissian and his droid companion L3-37 in "Solo: A Star Wars Story," and felt primed to generate an entirely different kind of chemistry as a husband and wife who discover they're professional killers working at deadly cross purposes.
So it was heartbreaking when Waller-Bridge exited the project almost two years ago, citing those pesky old creative differences. Glover, who initially pitched the idea, stuck with it and eventually found his Mrs. Smith in "PEN15" star/co-creator Maya Erskine. The series began shooting last summer and is expected to premiere at some point in 2023. We're still plenty excited for the show (how could you not be with a supporting cast that includes Parker Posey, Michaela Coel, John Turturro and Paul Dano), but it's only natural to wonder what might've been had Waller-Bridge and Glover struck a harmonious creative balance.
While making the press rounds for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," Waller-Bridge has opened up a little about her experience on "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," and she's made her peace with it.
Two strong creative personalities
In an interview with Vanity Fair's Joy Press, Phoebe Waller-Bridge makes it clear that, in the words of Howard Jones, no one is to blame. "I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it — still care about it," she said. "And I know it's going to 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."
Ever since leaving the series, Waller-Bridge has expressed nothing but admiration for Donald Glover. Maybe one of these days they'll find a project that's a better fit for their combined sensibilities. As for now, Waller-Bridge is endeavoring to give Amazon the first watchable, live-action adaptation of the video game "Tomb Raider." Hopefully, her time adventuring with Harrison Ford's long-in-the-tooth archaeologist gave her some workable ideas. Not that Waller-Bridge requires assistance in the inspiration department. "Fleabag" is one of the finest serialized works of the 21st century.
So while I'm happy that she's getting to goof around with genre fare, what I really want is uncut Waller-Bridge.