money A gritty 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' reboot is in the works after Will Smith was inspired by a fan-made viral video
NBC
Will Smith will produce a remake of his beloved '90s comedy "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" alongside "superfan" Morgan Cooper who made a viral reimagining of the show last year.
The remake will be a dramatic take on the show providing a deeper dive into the "inherent conflicts, emotions and biases of what it means to be a Black man in America today," according to The Hollywood Reporter's sources.
NBC's Peacock, Netflix and HBO Max are among the streaming services who are reportedly bidding on the series.
Will Smith will produce a remake of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" based on a fan-made reimagining of the beloved comedy, The Hollywood Reporter first reported.
Smith will team up with self-described "Fresh Prince" "superfan" Morgan Cooper, who last year produced a viral four-minute trailer, which reimagined the 90s comedy as a gritty, contemporary drama.
The Hollywood Reporter says sources told them that the remake has been in the works for over a year after the trailer went viral and caught Smith's attention. Soon after the trailer's release, Smith tracked down Cooper for an interview on his popular YouTube channel.
"I saw the trailer that Morgan Cooper hooked up and it's called, Bel-Air," Smith said. "
This was the first time that I heard something and was like Yo, that's an idea that is brilliant.'"
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Bel-Air" will provide a "dramatic take" on the TV show and will "will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases of what it means to be a Black man in America today."
The reboot is reportedly being offered to streaming services including NBC's Peacock, Netflix, and HBO Max. HBO Max is the current streaming home for the original series.
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" ran from 1990-1996 on NBC and shot Smith to stardom over six popular seasons. He would go on to lead Hollywood blockbusters such as "Bad Boys," "Men in Black," and "Ali."
The original show was produced by the legendary musician Quincy Jones, who is also reportedly set to return for the reboot alongside Smith.
A "Fresh Prince" remake will be among several popular 90s TV shows being given a new lease of life on content-hungry streaming sites. NBC's new streaming platform Peacock recently premiered a short trailer for its reimagining of "Saved by the Bell," and last month Netflix released a TV adaption of "The Babysitters Club."
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