'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' is being rebooted as a drama

As far as beloved (and timeless) TV series go, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a classic that exists in pretty untouchable territory. Untouchable, that is, unless someone decides to make it into a modernized TV drama — which, fortunately for fans, writer-director Morgan Cooper did, and Will Smith (and the entire world, it seems) quickly took notice… and got on board to make it a reality.Deadline reports that Fresh Prince is making a return in the form of an hourlong drama series based on Morgan Cooper’s popular fan film, which quickly went viral on YouTube, that reimagined the classic sitcom as a drama.The project will revolve around Will, a "street-smart" kid from Philly who gets caught on the wrong path, and lands himself at his Uncle’s upper-class Bel-Air abode, to get on the straight and narrow, so to speak. Although we have no doubt the series will pay tribute to the original series with lighter moments (and some serious swagger), Cooper’s adaptation clearly doesn’t shy away from tough subject matter and emotional storylines, providing a glimpse at what it’s like to be a Black man in America today.

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— Edward Sanchez (@edwardistheman) August 11, 2020

The project will be brought to life by Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith (whose acting career was first launched by the show in the early '90s) under their Westbrook Studios production company and Universal Television. Cooper, the self-proclaimed Fresh Prince super-fan and writer-director who released the 4 minute Bel-Air trailer, will direct and co-executive produce the series. [video_embed id='1949546']WATCH: Will Smith stages a 'Fresh Prince' reunion[/video_embed]Deadline also notes that Chris Collins (the man behind The Wire and Sons of Anarchy) will co-write, executive produce and act as a showrunner for the project. And, in true reboot fashion, original series producers are set to return as executive producers as well, including Smith, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and Andy and Susan Borowitz.According to The Hollywood Reporter, the reimagined Bel-Air series has been in the works for more than a year, after the viral trailer caught Will Smith’s attention. Smith even appeared in a later video with Cooper, telling the filmmaker, “That’s an idea that is brilliant.”And, it would seem, streaming services agree — and are officially battling it out for rights to reboot, with interest from Peacock, Netflix, HBO Max, Apple, and Amazon. Notably, HBO Max is currently home to the original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series, so surely the Bel-Air reboot could fit in quite nicely there. If Cooper’s Bel-Air trailer is any indication — this is going to be epic. [video_embed id='1994361']WATCH: Jada Pinkett Smith confirms relationship with August Alsina[/video_embed]