Bond meets Clouseau in Get Smart

Hathaway and Carell form an unlikely double act in the film

by Victoria Lindrea
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

What would happen if James Bond and Inspector Clouseau had a baby?

Scientific impossibility aside, the answer - according to Hollywood funnyman Mel Brooks - is bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart.

Smart, and his savvy sidekick '99', became the toast of US television in the mid 1960s in hit series Get Smart.

Created by Brooks and Buck Henry, the show ran for five years and turned its stars, Don Adams and Barbara Feldon, into household names.

"They created this spy comedy, set in the Cold War era, that lampooned the political landscape," explains Peter Segal, who directs a new big screen version of the show.

It's like taking your dad's beautiful sports car for a ride - you just don't want to crash it Film director Peter Segal on the challenge of adapting Get Smart

"It was borne of the seeds of James Bond, with a little bit of Clouseau thrown in, but it really became its own event," adds Segal, best known for Adam Sandler comedies Anger Management and 50 First Dates.

Segal calls the show "one of the best TV comedies in America ever".

In a town renowned for remakes, re-imaginings and reversions, it has proved impossible for Hollywood to resist.

Originally touted for a film remake in 1995 with Jim Carrey as the lead, the series now makes it film debut on with American Office star Steve Carell as Max.

Playful

"It's like taking your dad's beautiful sports car for a ride - you just don't want to crash it," says Segal - a huge fan of Mel Brooks's creation.

Brooks gave the final film his blessing. But Segal stresses that no prior knowledge of the series is needed to enjoy the film, which moves away from the show and imagines how Smart first became a field agent.

"Although we had to embrace the spirit of the show to please core fans, basically we were making a movie for the uninitiated," explains Segal.

The film pokes fun at the lack of communication between US intelligence, and takes a playful view of global terrorism.

The film features gadgets from the show, including the shoe phone

"In keeping with what Mel Brooks and Buck Henry had to say about the Cold War, there is a right time for Get Smart and now seems to be that time," says Segal.

"We couldn't have made this movie five or six years ago, so close to 9/11 , but eventually we have to be able to laugh otherwise ultimately the terrorists win."

Carell came to international attention in the 2003 Carrey comedy Bruce Almighty, taking over the lead from Carrey in the 2007 sequel Evan Almighty.

But it was his turn in The 40-Year-Old Virgin that convinced Segal that Carrell was the man for the job.

"I actually turned down the film a couple of times over the past few years because I didn't feel there was the right actor out there to play Max," says Segal.

"It was such an iconic series that I didn't want to mess with it."

"But when the producers called to say they had Carell on board - for the first time, it sounded right."

Action heroes

Carell is Hollywood's answer to Ricky Gervais - with whiter teeth and a trimmer waistline.

His co-star, Anne Hathaway, who plays glamorous agent '99', insists she only pursued the role "because I wanted to meet him".

"Steve is very hard to keep up with," says the Devil Wears Prada star.

"Once I got the role, I was very honest about my abilities - I said to myself 'don't put the pressure on yourself to keep up or be funny, just keep out of Steve's way'".

"She didn't keep out of the way!" retorts Carell.

The film also stars former wrestler Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock

"She led, she followed - she did everything she should do. When she came in to read for the part you just knew immediately - she was '99'".

For both stars, it was their first opportunity to embrace an action role, albeit in a comedy scenario.

"Steve and I have to be two of the unlikeliest action heroes you'll ever see," says Hathaway, who tackled her stunts wearing high heels and all.

"One of the reasons why 99 was such a fun role is because it is so different from my personality," she says.

"I don't see myself as a Bond girl, but I would like to play Moneypenny."

"I would love to play a Bond villain, one of those psychopaths that hopes to kill James and destroy the world!" says Carell.

Get Smart opens across the UK on Friday 22 August.