John Mulaney Eyes Maxwell Smart Role in Warner Bros' Get Smart Reimagining
John Mulaney is in talks to star as Maxwell Smart in Warner Bros' reimagining of Get Smart, according to Deadline.
The project pairs a comedian with deep variety-writing credentials with one of television's most decorated spy parodies. Seth Grahame-Smith is writing the screenplay, with Chuck Rovan and Andrew Lazar producing for the studio.
Get Smart began life as a TV series created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, running 138 episodes from 1965 to 1970. The first four seasons aired on NBC before the show moved to CBS for its final year. Don Adams starred as the bumbling Agent 86, opposite Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 and Edward Platt as the Chief. The series won seven Emmys, including two for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Mulaney brings his own Emmy pedigree — four of them. He won Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special three times: in 2025 for SNL: 50th Anniversary, in 2023 for John Mulaney: Baby J, and in 2018 for John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City Hall. His first came in 2011 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics on Saturday Night Live. He has hosted the show six times.
On the road, Mulaney has been scaling up. On July 11 he sold out Wrigley Field, becoming the first comedian to headline the Chicago ballpark. He has announced Mulaney Takes Manhattan, a nine-show New York City run across nine venues from 7–15 January 2027, part of his touring show John Mulaney: Mister Whatever. His next film role is in Madden, an Amazon MGM Studios production starring Nicolas Cage as football coach John Madden, directed by David O. Russell.
Grahame-Smith's recent credits suggest a feel for franchise material with commercial legs. He has a story credit on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which grossed more than $452 million worldwide. He wrote The Lego Batman Movie, which took over $312 million globally, and Now You See Me: Now You Don't, which reached close to $247 million. His relationship with Warner Bros goes back to September 2011, when his KatzSmith banner — co-founded with David Katzenberg — signed a first-look deal with the studio.
What makes the pairing interesting is the tonal fit. Mulaney's carefully built stage persona — polished, arch, forever undercutting his own composure — sits in the same comedic neighbourhood as Maxwell Smart's self-serious incompetence. Whether that translates to a feature performance is a question for the eventual shoot. For now, the deal is not closed, and Mulaney is listed only as eyeing the role.
No release date, director, or additional cast have been announced for the Get Smart reimagining. The project is in early development at Warner Bros.
