How Morgan Cooper brought ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ reboot to life
Ever wondered what The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air would look like if it took place in today’s world? Well, thanks to Morgan Cooper, we will get to see it, as there is already a Fresh Prince reboot in the works.
The new show is based on Morgan Cooper‘s fan-made trailer that was released last year and now has over 6 million views on YouTube.
How Morgan Cooper helped inspire the Fresh Prince reboot
The show will not be structured like a sitcom as it was originally. Instead, the series will be reimagined as a drama set in modern-day America.
Morgan Cooper himself will be a part of the project and will be co-writing, directing, and serving as a co-executive producer.
Cooper is an independent filmmaker who says he gained experience by filming drug dealers who wanted to be rappers in Kansas City. He is a two-time Tribeca Film Festival award winner. Cooper is also working on a Quibi show titled Black Coffee that is produced by Gabrielle Union.
Cooper self-funded the trailer that has led to the show becoming a reality. One of his goals is to put his hometown Kansas City on the map. Cooper bought his first camera at age 18 and taught himself how to use it.
Will Smith will also be an executive producer after being the star of the original show. Westbrook Studios, which was founded by him and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, will produce the show along with Universal Studios.
Morgan Cooper’s trailer caught the attention of Will Smith when it first dropped and led to Smith helping Cooper secure the two-season deal. Smith says that something like this coming to fruition basically never happens.
The structure of the Fresh Prince reboot
The reboot is still in its infant stages. There is currently no release date. It was picked up by NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock, who has already committed to filming two seasons.
Due to the legacy that The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air has, a bunch of different streaming services had been in the hunt to host the reboot. This includes Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max and Apple.
Cooper says the idea for the show hit him while driving. He refers to the moment as a “weird astrological event.”
Original series creators Andy and Susan Borowitz will have a role on the reboot. Chris Collins will also be on set serving as an executive producer and co-writing the script. Collins is known for his part in The Man in The High Castle and The Wire.
Exploring being Black in America
We know that the Fresh Prince reboot will focus a lot more on Will’s backstory and delve much deeper into the social issues that the original series touched on but could not fully explore, like being Black in America. The episodes will be an hour long.
From Cooper’s trailer we see the same storylines that made the original special, but with a much more dramatic twist.
There’s no doubt that The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was one of the best and most important sitcoms to ever release. What made the show special was its ability to use comedy to layer in serious messages that resonated with the show’s audience.
Cooper’s talent and vision has gotten him this far, and we can’t wait to see how the show turns out.