John Mulaney could be bringing the ironic giggles this time around.
Originally reported by Deadline, Warner Bros. Pictures has got Seth Grahame-Smith (“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t”) working on a brand-new screenplay for a “Get Smart” reboot with comedian John Mulaney in talks to star. With Charles Roven and Andrew Lazar as producers, Warner Bros. is looking to get back into the comedy spy genre with a splash.
From the Original to Modern-Day
The spy spoof series was originally created years ago by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry and premiered on NBC in 1965, following Sean Connery’s debut as James Bond.
The original version of “Get Smart” was made to capitalize on the secret agent trend at the time and became a cultural phenomenon with its recurring gimmicks, like the shoe phone and the “Cone of Silence.” It starred Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, with Barbara Feldon and Edward Platt as Agent 99 and The Chief respectively.
This news of a second reboot comes 18 years after the commercially successful 2008 feature film starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway and Dwayne Johnson snagged $230 million globally. The spoof was rated “meh” by both critics and general audiences and a planned sequel quietly killed after.
Adding John Mulaney to the Mix
Mulaney’s comedic credits border legend status as a former writer for “Saturday Night Live,” with numerous, insanely popular, and quotable Comedy Central and Netflix specials (“New in Town,” “The Comeback Kid,” “Baby J”) and his talk show “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA.”
So the news of a “Get Smart” re-reboot isn’t that exciting on its own, but paired with Mulaney and Grahame-Smith involved, it could exceed low expectations. The script is still in development so anything can happen. If Warner Bros. wants to stick with tradition, they can wait to announce the date of the new reboot to align with Amazon MGM’s eventual reveal of the new James Bond. According to Gary Oldman, the Bond casting will be announced very soon.
Who Could Round Out the Cast?
With Mulaney in talks to star as Agent 86, that means we get to speculate on who else could be on the cast. The role of Agent 99, previously played by Feldon and Hathaway, should be someone that can tackle satire, irony and work well opposite Mulaney in this very unserious role. Our picks for the unnamed agent:
- Ayo Edebiri: A sharp, witty fan favorite, she would be a great fit for the ultra-professional romantic lead.
- Stephanie Beatriz: Already an expert at playing a police officer with classic deadpan delivery on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” she feels like a no-brainer pick for a role like this.
- Megan Stalter: She brings an unhinged, chaotic energy in everything she does (“Hacks”) and, depending on the script’s direction, could be the perfect match to make this silly franchise even sillier.
Whoever plays the character of The Chief—the head of CONTROL who occasionally gets frustrated with Smart’s antics—should balance out whatever goofiness Mulaney will bring. Nick Offerman, Idris Elba, or Jon Hamm would be excellent choices to take on that intensely stoic role.
It’s still early days for the Warner Bros. project, but if they can get all the right pieces in place for this, they may have a hit on their hands.
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