Will Smith Birds Himself in New Spies in Disguise Trailer

There comes a certain point in an actor’s career, should he be so lucky, at which he can basically play slightly varying versions of himself in every role. The real-life persona becomes so famous, it’s impossible to remove it entirely onscreen. Call it the Will Smith Effect.

That assuredly looks to be the case in the new trailer for Spies in Disguise, scheduled for release Christmas 2019. Coming after his turn as Blue Will Smith in Disney’s Aladdin, the Men in Black mega-star expands his horizons as Lance Sterling—Spy Will Smith cracking wise and kicking ass.

But there’s a problem. In an especially weird case of art imitating life, Spy Will Smith is notorious worldwide. Fame is not exactly a spy’s best weapon, thus Smith’s own Teenage Q (Tom Holland) whips up an “invisibility” elixir. And there’s no other way to put it: Lance Sterling turns into a pigeon. A pigeon.

Suddenly the film takes on a feathery Kafka promise, miles more engaging than a generic spy flick aimed at children. How can Spy/Pigeon Will Smith use his newfound rat-with-wings form during clandestine missions? Does Spy/Pigeon Will Smith work his 007-ish charm on lady pigeons to obtain intel? How can a spy drink martinis when he can’t even hold them?

These are questions we hope to answer come December.

Additional cast members include Rashida Jones, Ben Mendehlson, Karen Gillan, Masi Oka and DJ Khaled. Check out the bonkers clip below and revisit the flick’s first trailer here.