Phoebe Waller-Bridge Quits Mr. And Mrs. Smith, Donald Glover To Remain

Phoebe Waller-Bridge Quits Mr. And Mrs. Smith, Donald Glover To Remain

As if 2021 wasn’t already bad enough, Phoebe Waller-Bridge has decided to pull out of her leading role in the upcoming TV adaptation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Amazon.

Waller-Bridge, who rose to fame and won our hearts in Fleabag, was set to star alongside Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) in the series. However, Hollywood publications Deadline and Variety are reporting that she has left the series, citing “creative differences” between the pair.

Glover was actually the one to come up with the idea for the series, and personally approached Waller-Bridge to work with him as co-creator, executive producer and lead actress, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Donald Glover will remain in his titular role as Mr Smith, while the female lead will be recast. The rest of the crew, including Atlanta star Francesca Sloane, will continue to work on the project alongside Glover.

In addition to starring in the series, both Waller-Bridge and Glover were listed as executive producers, so there has been a pretty significant loss here.

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The series, which was scheduled to enter production in 2022, is based on the 2005 Doug Liman film of the same name — a project that famously resulted in the IRL love story between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (which met its demise in 2016). The action comedy film followed the lives of a bored married couple who discover they are assassins assigned with the task of killing each other.

The news is interesting considering this wouldn’t have been the first time Waller-Bridge and Glover worked together, having previously co-starred in Solo: A Star Wars Story back in 2018. It’s also worth noting, however, that Waller-Bridge’s departure is being described as amicable, so it doesn’t seem like anything too tense went down between the stars.

Although it’s sad to see her leave, it’s not all bad news for Waller-Bridge fans because the Fleabag star is still working on the fifth Indiana Jones film, which is set to hit cinemas on July 29, 2022 (provided it doesn’t face the same delays as most other films this year).