'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' Game Show in the Works

Yahoo Movies

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (20th Century Fox)

by Lesley Goldberg

Here’s a new twist on the game show format.

Reality producers 3 Ball Entertainment (Extreme Weight Loss) is teaming with New Regency for a game show based on Brad Pitt and Angelia Jolie feature film Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

While details are being kept under wraps about just how the game show will work, the series will feature married couples who compete in a high-octane, high-stakes game that offers what’s said to be a twist on the reality-competition format.

Todd A. Nelson and Brant Pinvidic will exec produce for 3 Ball.

Released in 2005, the feature — produced by New Regency — starred Pitt and Jolie as a assassins working for different firms who posed as a married couple who wind up both being assigned to kill the other after a botched assignment. The feature grossed $186.3 million.

The Smith game show comes as the genre has been seeing a resurgence of late as networks look for new family-friendly fare with broad appeal to take the place of singing competitions in the wake of American Idol’s upcoming final season. The new wave of game shows started in May with ABC’S 500 Questions as well as this week’s Celebrity Family Feud, the latter of which opened to impressive returns. Also among the game show wave is the revival of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader at Fox; NBC also has an upcoming game show with LeBron James, and CBS recently ordered six episodes of philanthropy-minded The Briefcase.

The new wave comes as game shows have become appealing to networks as they can be produced cheaper than other reality fare provided host fees are low.

Meanwhile, the plan to reboot Smith as an unscripted entry comes as remakes continue to be in high demand as they come with a built-in brand recognition, making them easier (and cheaper) to market. Key among the remakes is having the original producers involved, which is the case here with Smith.

For 3 Ball, the project comes as the company has multiple series on the air including Bar Rescue, Catch a Contractor, L.A. Hair and more.