Prime Video’s successful reboot series,Mr. & Mrs. Smith, is continuing with a second season. Co-creatorFrancesca Sloane, who worked beside star and fellow co-creator Donald Glover, shared her experiences from making the show and the calls she has already received for guest roles for the next season.
In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,Sloane detailed her first experience working as a showrunner for this project, and one of the things she didn’t expect was the prices for sets and locations.“Let’s just shoot at the Whitney. And then everyone is like, ‘Yeah, we can. Here’s the price tag on that.’ That blew my mind.“She adds that there are certain rules when filming in public places, which is a change they must account for when writing and shooting scenes.
“We wanted to shoot this incredible chase sequence through the Highline. Because it is such a public setting and a tourist attraction, we couldn’t have any gunfire. That was a disclaimer. That’s why we have so much hand-to-hand combat versus them actually shooting guns during that sequence. Rewriting certain things to obey these restrictions became fun.”
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
She spoke about her and Donald Glover’s experience deciding the direction of the genre they wanted the show to be. She called it “an experiment,” and despite adding comedy when the arguments ensue, the show isstill a character studyabout relationships. When discussing the first season,she brings up the truth serum scene as a representation of what they were trying to achieve with the series.
“The entire season, they’re so withholding — they’re trying so hard to play the cat-and-mouse thing because that’s what makes a good spy. And two people, regardless of being spies, can be withholding and scared to really show who they are at the beginning of a relationship. And truth serum is an actual thing!”
There was no shortage of cameos in the first season, such as Parker Posey, John Turturro, and Michaela Coel. Regarding potential guest stars, Sloane highlighted that it’s been very fun, and she’s been receiving calls from A-listers who have long been prominent in the business. She says, “There are some legendary character actors” trying to guest star in this critically acclaimed series.
“These are some icons, real heavy-hitters, and I think they recognize that there are parts for them in this show. There’s been a lot of ‘Pinch me! Are you serious?’ outreach.”
Success and the Next Season of Mr. & Mrs. Smith
The series is inspired by the 2005 film of the same name, starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. The story remains similar, with John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine), the two lead spies, teaming up for a mysterious organization. The first season ofMr. & Mrs. Smithwas critically acclaimed and garnered 16 Emmy nominations. Theseason finale endedin a chaotic cliffhanger, and as for continuing it, Sloane talked about their joy and excitement about the ideas they had come up with. She adds there are lots of surprises in store for the future.
“I have been skipping to work. We laugh all day. We are having so much fun coming up with where these characters are going. I hope that it’s contagious and I hope it translates because I haven’t had this much fun making anything, maybe ever.”
Donald Glover and Maya Erskine Break Down the Mr. & Mrs. Smith Finale
Donald Glover and Maya Erskine’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith speak about their chaotic finale.
The second season was announced in May, though initial reports stated Maya Erskine and Donald Glover wouldn’t return. Since then, however, Glover and Erskine have hinted that their storycould be far from overin the next season. Sloane and Glover will return to the writers' room, along with Steven Glover and Yvonne Hana Yi, who contributed to episodes in the first season. Additionally, writers fromAtlantalike Taofik Kolade and Jamal Olori, as well as some new writers, could join the crew.
The first season ofMr. & Mrs. Smithis available to stream onPrime Video.
