Phoebe Waller-Bridge will no longer star opposite Donald Glover in Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith series.
The Hollywood Reporter cites anonymous insiders saying the Fleabag creator had “a different creative vision” from her co-star and previous collaborator. “Sources say Waller-Bridge and Glover remain friends following what was described as an amicable split,” THR writes.
Variety reports the same, crediting “multiple sources.”
Glover is still attached as co-creator, executive producer, and star on the project, which is a reboot of the 2005 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie of the same name. Francesca Sloane, a frequent collaborator with Glover on his show Atlanta, is also still on board as co-creator, EP, and showrunner.
The Amazon- and New Regency-produced show is slated for a premiere sometime in 2022, and Waller-Bridge’s role will now be recast. Production is due to begin next year, with writers working on the scripts for the first season now.
Glover was responsible for getting Phoebe Waller-Bridge involved with the series, bringing it to her after they starred together in Solo: A Star Wars Story. The two announced the project back in February with a video that parodied TikTok trends at the time:
Glover signed an overall deal with Amazon the same month, which also sees him working on a potential series titled Hive, rumored to focus on a Beyoncé-inspired character.
Aside from the highly anticipated third and fourth seasons of Atlanta, Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith is Glover’s only announced project for next year. Waller-Bridge, meanwhile, has been cast in the next Indiana Jones film, and served as a screenwriter on the long-delayed 25th James Bond film No Time to Die.
