Smith rebooting Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as TV drama

Will Smith is revamping his hit sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air as a TV drama series.

Superfan Morgan Cooper caught Smith’s eye early last year when he posted a fake trailer for the show, reimagined as a drama, on YouTube.

The four-minute clip, which Cooper created and directed, went viral and now Smith has recruited him to turn the dream scenario into a full series.

Cooper will work with The Wire’s Chris Collins to write the script, which he will also direct and executive produce. Collins will serve as showrunner, while original producers Smith, legendary musician Quincy Jones, and Jennifer Lopez’s longtime manager Benny Medina will return, alongside Fresh Prince creators Andy and Susan Borowitz.

Simply titled Bel-Air, the serialized one-hour drama will be set in modern-day America and delve into the emotions and complications behind lead character Will’s journey from the streets of West Philadelphia, Penn., to his uncle’s gated estate in Bel-Air, L.A.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project has been in the works for over a year, and is currently attracting big bids from bosses at streaming services including HBO Max, Netflix, and Peacock, the new platform from officials at the original show’s broadcaster NBC.

Smith shot to fame after the huge success of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran for six seasons until 1996 and co-starred the late James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, and Tatyana Ali.