Will Smith Confirms Reboot Of Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air With A Dramatic Reimagining
Advertisement
Will Smith has confirmed a reboot of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air but with a twist. NBC streamer Peacock has ordered two seasons of the reimagined version of the classic sitcom. The series is expected to premiere next year.
The 51-year-old actor in a video posted on YouTube had revealed that the dramatic reimagining of his 1990s comedy series is all set for production. It is based on a viral 2019 trailer created by Fresh Prince superfan Morgan Cooper, who has scored a deal with the newly-launched streaming site just from a pitch.
According to Hollywood Reporter, the new Bel-Air has been in the works for more than a year after the four-minute clip went viral when it was posted in March 2019 and caught Will Smith’s attention.
Will Smith said, “We have just officially closed the deal with Peacock with an unprecedented two-season-order from a pitch. I’ve been in this business for 30 years and that does not happen. They ordered two full seasons of BEL-AIR based on the quality of the pitch.”
While sharing the same video on Instagram, the actor captioned, “18 months ago, a young filmmaker from Kansas City [Morgan Cooper] uploaded a video on YouTube reimagining The [Fresh Prince] of Bel-Air for present-day as a DRAMA. Everybody sent it to me. It was outstanding. I had NEVER envisioned revisiting the Banks family in this way. We knew this was special, so we called [Chris Collins] and asked him to lead the team (he wrote on The Wire) and he said YES! Months of writing, developing and pitching…and now it’s happening. “Bel-Air” got a TWO SEASON order, debuting in 2021 on @nbc’s streaming service @peacocktv. Morgan Cooper and Chris Collins, you are THE Truth!!
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was aired from 1990-1996 on NBC. The series was produced by Jones, Warner Bros. TV and what became Universal Television. The series featured Will Smith, James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali, Joseph Marcell and Janet Hubert-Whitten/Daphne Maxwell Reid. Smith has remained close with the cast and recently reunited with everyone on Snapchat.
However, whether Will Smith will appear in the dramatic reboot of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is unclear.
