‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Was Just as Dramatic Off-Screen

The big picture

• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's on-screen chemistry and off-screen romance fueled the pop culture frenzy surrounding
  Mr and Mrs Smith
  .
• The film's production faced numerous scheduling conflicts and logistical challenges, leading to delays and an over budget.
• The film's depiction of Bogotá, Colombia offended the Colombian government, and drew criticism for its negative portrayal of the city.

Almost 20 years have passed since the hit film Mr and Mrs Smith first released, a solid action comedy with behind-the-scenes rumors that altered pop culture forever. The film, directed by Doug Limancentered around John and Jane Smith, played unforgettably by brad pitt i Angelina Jolie. The Smiths were two halves of a seemingly bored and not-so-happy couple, each hiding their secret identity: murderers! – of the other The setup worked well enough, until a failed mission ensured that their next targets were the last people they would have expected: each other.

It's a dramatic premise, to be sure, and the result is a genuinely entertaining film that's just as fun to watch today as it was in 2005. In fact, one of Prime Video's latest series is an update of the film starring the same. Donald Glover i Maya Erskine in the roles of Pitt and Jolie. It's almost impossible to bring up the famous film without mentioning the off-screen lives of Pitt and Jolie, whose nickname Brangelina was created specifically when rumors began that the couple had an affair during filming. From scheduling conflicts and casting changes to difficult directors and a potential international incident, documenting the making of Mr and Mrs Smith it would have been as wild a movie as the one they ended up releasing.

Nicole Kidman was supposed to star alongside Brad Pitt

When you think Mr and Mrs Smith, the first image that comes to mind is one of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie standing back to back. The two fit their roles very naturally, but in reality, their match came about after a few rounds of recasting. Already an action star, Pitt was attached to the film from its inception, but was originally slated to star in Nicole Kidmanwho had to withdraw due to a scheduling conflict with his film The Stepford Wives. His departure led to Pitt's, and the management team considered everyone Will Smith i Catherine Zeta Jones a Johnny Depp i Cate Blanchett in his search for the perfect John and Jane. Even Gwen Stefani made it to the casting room, but only when Angelina Jolie was called (and signed in) did Pitt re-enter the picture.

It was once the two began filming, however, that the real frenzy around the film began. At the time, Brad Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston, and as rumors began to swirl about Pitt and Jolie getting closer and closer, America's golden couple seemed to be on the brink of disaster. Cue the paparazzi, lots of them, flying in helicopters and roaming the roads. They were listening to walkie-talkies on the set in hopes of getting inside information, and production was told that a single image of the two leads. it could be worth up to $300,000.

When Pitt and Aniston announced their split, just six months before the film's release, the frenzy only intensified. As we now know, the rumor was true: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie went public with their relationship just a month later. Mr and Mrs Smith they debuted, and remained together until September 2016, when they officially filed for divorce. Their relationship became central to the film's press. Regardless of what you think of the relationship drama, it's hard to ignore the impact the resulting pop culture hysteria had on Mr and Mrs Smith box office success

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith had a lot of scheduling problems

The media wasn't the only thing that got in the way Mr and Mrs Smithbehind-the-scenes progress: There were also many logistical hoops to jump through during its production. With an initial delay of one month due to problems in the construction of the set, Filming officially began in January 2004. However, it was made clear that in order to accommodate Pitt's previous injury that he suffered while on the set of his film. Troy, further programming changes would be required. More critically, Pitt had to leave production for several months in order to shoot Ocean's Twelvethe director of the second installment Steven Soderberghthe successful franchise.

Stopping and restarting a shoot is extraordinarily expensive, and Mr and Mrs Smith director Doug Liman took a bet, betting that a film as big as Ocean's Twelve it would not start on its initial date. Unfortunately, he was wrong, and with Pitt contractually committed to being there for the shoot, Mr and Mrs Smith he had to take a break for three months. Add in Liman's disorganized shooting style, with entire days of shooting completely scrapped, new sets built at the last minute, and 40-50 alternate endings written (of course, it was the original ending that was used at the end) and The film it was a whopping $26 million over budget.

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith offended the Colombian government

Mr and Mrs Smith it was a US show every step of the way, but it also had a surprising international impact: specifically, in Bogota, Colombia. The film's opening scenes show John and Jane meeting for the first time in the Latin American city, in a run-down hotel where they pretend to be together to avoid a police search for lone travelers. It's a scene with its own kind of magic, but it's set in a Bogotá very different from real life. At least, that's how Enrique Borda Felt, who at that time was the general secretary of the Bogotá Mayor's Office.

After watching the film, he sent a letter to Liman expressing his anger at the “total level of ignorance” in its depiction of the bustling city, which has a population of more than 8 million citizens. He claimed that the film showed a capital “backward, with little hotel infrastructure…with high levels of violence, ultimately totally chaotic and not at all attractive”. Borda ended his letter with an invitation to Liman and the film's producer Arnold Micham, to see that Bogotá was “nothing like the negative image reflected” in his film. Considering all these stories, the making of Mr and Mrs Smith it really feels like a feat. With casting and programming changes, pop culture hysteria, and international criticism, one can only be impressed that Liman, along with the rest of the film's cast and crew, were able to make a film as genuinely entertained.

Mr and Mrs Smith is available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the US

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