The “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is the latest 90s show to get the reboot treatment.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Will Smith and Morgan Cooper are teaming up to create a dramatic version of the hit NBC show titled “Bel-Air.” The outlet reports that the reboot is described as a “dramatic take on the former NBC comedy that catapulted Smith to stardom after he spent six seasons starring as the street-smart kid who moved from Philly to the upper-class neighborhood.”
The show has reportedly been in the works for over a year following a viral clip of a four-minute video which was posted back in March 2019. The visual, which was directed and created by Cooper, caught Smith’s eye. Cooper will co-write this new script and also serve as an executive producer and director.
Smith, Benny Medina, Quincy Jones, Andy and Susan Borowitz are set to rejoin the show as executive producers. Chris Collins will join as a show runner, executive producer and will co-write the script with Cooper. The reboot is currently being shopped to different streamers. According to the outlet, Netflix, HBO Max and Peacock are among the top bidders for the series. HBO Max is currently home to the original show.
Back in April, Smith and the cast of the original show reunited for a two-part finale on his Snapchat show “Will From Home” and reminisced on the good times they shared on set.
“The reason that my character’s name is Will Smith is because of you, do you remember that?” Smith recalled to Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks on the hit show. “It was such a deep insight that you had. You said, ‘Because people are going to call you that for the rest of your life!’”
In the other clip, Smith asked the cast how they dealt with people knowing them as their “Fresh Prince” characters in real life. DJ Jazzy Jeff said that he would only get annoyed when people would ask him to do the infamous handshake that he and Smith did on the show.
“You would see in peoples’ eyes when they were about to sneak the handshake and I would just grab their hand and hold it!” Jeff said.
Check out the trailer of “Bel-Air” that went viral last year.