TV show reboots appear to be the latest trend in Hollywood. With rumors of remakes of the Proud Family, Lizzie Mcguire, Sister, Sister, Clueless and many more, the latest addition to Hollywood’s Comeback list is The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Birthed from a viral trailer posted in March 2019, Bel-Air caught the attention of the Fresh Prince, himself, and will take on a darker tone than the original 90’s sitcom. According to Entertainment Tonight, Will Smith describes the series as “[A] brilliant idea, the dramatic version of the Fresh Prince for the next generation.”
Smith, Benny Medina, and Quincy Jones are all onboard as producers, as well as the Trailer’s Creator Morgan Cooper.
“[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air show has] always been a part of me,” said Cooper in a video reading thoughts on the remake. “I remember driving down 71 in Kansas City, and I was just thinking about the show. I remember driving under this overpass. I always say I drove under it, and when I came out, I had the idea; it hit me like a ton of bricks, and I knew I had to tell a story.”
Cooper will direct and co-executive produce Bel-Air, which is currently being co-written with The Wire’s Chris Collins. Collins is an executive producer and showrunner on the potential series.
Although HBOMax is the streaming service for the original program that aired from 1990 - 1996, no network has been assigned to the reboot yet. Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrooks Studios and Universal TV are currently pitching the show to streamers: HBOMax, Peacock, Netflix, and others.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, sources say this has been in the works for more than a year. The original cast will not be in the production, but the cast recently had a reunion in May of this year for Snapchat.