Before Will Smith became one of the greatest box office attractions in the history of American motion pictures, he starred in a successful sitcom in the 1990s that catapulted him into a higher realm of national fame.
Smith, 51, is going to reboot “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which ended its ultra-successful run 24 years ago after six seasons. “Fresh Prince,” which was produced by Quincy Jones, who convinced Smith to be the central character, elevated Smith from a moderately famous rapper and one-half of the duo of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince into a bona fide crossover star.
The Men in Black and Bad Boys franchise star is producing Morgan Cooper’s dramatic re-imagining of the show that was centered around a precocious inner-city teenager who moved from Philadelphia to live with his relatives in a glamorous Los Angeles suburb.
Smith’s industry cachet, coupled with Jones’ legendary status as a star-maker — Jones first spotted and launched Smith, Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey from intermediate stars to all-time icons — should aid in getting the show signed by a streaming service. The show has been in the works for more than a year since Smith spotted Cooper’s YouTube trailer “Bel-Air” that went viral in March 2019.
The dramatic iteration of the show will delve deeper into the inherent class and cultural conflicts that emanate from being reared in differing socioeconomic statuses but ensures the programming will retain its “swagger.”
According to Deadline and the Hollywood Reporter, it not a matter of if but when the reboot airs as streaming behemoths Netflix, HBO Max and Peacock (NBC) are bidding on “Bel-Air.”
Flip the page to check out the viral video trailer that caught Smith’s attention.
