Will Smith is working on a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot
Will Smith may be a major movie star now, but one role that he'll be forever associated with is The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Will.
The 1990s sitcom, which of course has one of the catchiest and most beloved theme tunes of all time, is still a major favourite today and Smith is about to jump back into the Bel-Air world again as he's now involved in a reboot – with a major twist.
In March 2019, short film maker Morgan Cooper shared his own reimagining of the hit sitcom as a gritty drama, posting a very slick trailer to YouTube which tells streetsmart Will's story about moving from West Philadelphia to Bel-Air and adjusting to his new life with his wealthy relatives with a more serious angle.
The clip went viral in a big way and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith has now teamed up with Cooper to adapt the one-off trailer into a brand new drama series called Bel-Air.
Cooper will co-write the script as well as direct and executive produce the series, while Smith will also executive produce alongside original show producers Quincy Jones and Benny Medina and creators Andy and Susan Borowitz.
THR writes that 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".
Netflix, HBO Max and Peacock are reportedly among the streaming services bidding for the series.
Smith revealed last year that he had seen the trailer and fallen in love with it, saying: "I was like 'Yo, that's an idea that is brilliant!'"
Cooper said that he "grew up watching the show" and that it has "always been a part of me", adding that the idea for the trailer "hit me like a tonne of bricks".
Bel-Air may feature less maxin' and relaxin' than the original Fresh Prince but if Cooper's trailer is anything to go by, it will give us a very powerful reimagined story.
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