In 1965, the world was introduced to the spy parody sitcom, Get Smart. Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, the show was a farcical piece of awesomeness. Don Adams played Agent 86, Maxwell Smart. Paired with Agent 99, played by Barbara Feldon. The two spies represented the agency of CONTROL and their fight against KAOS. Running gags galore would ensue with shoe phones, malapropisms, and slapstick comedy. The show has seen some revivals of sorts over the years. Now it’s looking to get another one with John Mulaney.
Get Smart Was a Stone Cold Classic
The original run of Get Smart lasted from 1965 to 1970. There was an extremely ill-fated revival in 1995 where Andy Dick played the son of Agent 86 and 99. A more successful film reboot happened with Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway in 2008, and that was the last anyone heard of the franchise. That is until the John Mulaney announcement.
Details are scarce at the moment but the word is he’s set to play Maxwell Smart in a new version of the property. It seems like it’s being set up to be a film. Reports indicate a screenplay is being worked up by Seth Grahame-Smith. He previously wrote Now You See Me; Now You Don’t. No details have really been provided beyond that.
John Mulaney is Perfect for Get Smart
Mulaney has become a rather renowned comedian alongside his comedic writing talents. Previously a writer for Saturday Night Live, his stand–up specials have scored him notoriety and Emmy awards. He’s no stranger to acting either. Although its forgotten, he had a short-lived sitcom, Mulaney but saw more success with guest spots on The Bear, guest hosting SNL, and voicing characters in movies. He was Peter Porker in the movie Into the Spider-Verse and voiced Chip in Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers back in 2022.
He easily has the chops to handle the role of Maxwell Smart. Mulaney’s humor is steeped in pop culture references and off-beat asides. His delivery also carries the confident ignorance that Don Adams channeled in his take on the agent. That’s part of the charm of Agent 86. He was foolish, but so confident in his foolishness that it became funny for a whole other reason. It’s one thing to see an idiot do something dumb. It’s another to see an idiot confidently do something dumb.
More Details to Come
We eagerly await seeing more about this project in the months to come. Get Smart is a premise that can carry over from decade to decade with moderate retooling. Parody and spies still have a place in modern day. Any excuse to see John Mulaney in something is an excuse worth having too. We’ll keep you informed as we uncover more Intel.
