John Mulaney in Early Talks to Play Maxwell Smart in 'Get Smart' Reboot

Actor and comedian John Mulaney is in early discussions to headline a new film reboot of the classic spy comedy 'Get Smart' for Warner Bros. The project is understood to be in its formative stages, with Seth Grahame-Smith, known for writing 'Now You See Me: Now You Don't', attached to pen the screenplay. Andrew Lazar and Chuck Roven are set to produce.

The original 'Get Smart' television series, created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, premiered in 1965 and ran for 138 episodes until 1970. Don Adams starred as the bumbling yet effective Agent Maxwell Smart, opposite Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, with Edward Platt portraying the Chief of the spy agency CONTROL. The show was a critical success during its run, winning seven Emmy Awards, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series and three acting wins for Adams.

The property was previously adapted into a feature film in 2008, with Steve Carell taking on the role of Maxwell Smart. That movie, directed by Peter Segal and featuring Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, and Terence Stamp, opened with USD 38 million at the domestic box office and went on to earn approximately USD 239 million worldwide against a reported budget of USD 80 million.

Mulaney, a Critics' Choice and WGA Award winner, recently made history as the first comedian to headline Chicago's Wrigley Field. He currently hosts the Netflix series 'Everybody's Live with John Mulaney' and has a nine-show New York comedy run, 'Mulaney Takes Manhattan', scheduled for January. His upcoming film credits include a role in David O. Russell's sports biopic 'Madden', where he will portray Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins.