Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ to be rebooted as a drama series
(Meredith) — A reboot for “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is in the works, but there’s a surprising twist: the popular 1990s sitcom is coming back as a drama series.
The bold new remake, titled “Bel-Air,” is based on a fan-made trailer that went viral last year. Morgan Cooper created the trailer, which racked up more than 5.7 million views on YouTube and caught the attention of Will Smith, who called the idea “brilliant.”
According to TODAY, Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal TV are now working with Cooper on the new project.
“Bel-Air is a one-hour, dramatic retelling of the beloved ’90s sitcom, ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ that leans into the original premise of Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air,” Universal TV said in a statement to TODAY. “With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions, and biases of what it means to be a Black man in America today, while still delivering the swagger and fun nods to the original show.”
The original NBC comedy ran from 1990-1996.
While a network is not yet attached to the new show, several streaming services are reportedly in a bidding war for the rights — including Netflix, NBC’s Peacock, and HBO Max.
Photo Credit: kmov.com