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'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' drama reboot heading to Peacock

Will Smith, star of the original "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" sitcom, called it "unprecedented" for a show to get a two-season order simply from a pitch.
Credit: AP
Actor Will Smith poses upon his arrival for a press conference to promote his new movie "Men in Black III" in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Peacock has ordered up two seasons of "Bel-Air," an hour-long series that re-envisions the hit 1990s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" as a drama. 

The project started as a viral YouTube trailer from director Morgan Cooper, which showed what a "dark" and "gritty" take on a "Fresh Prince" set in 2019 may look like. 

Will Smith, star of the original "Fresh Prince," made the announcement Tuesday night on his YouTube channel and broke the news to Cooper and the adaptation's co-writer Chris Collins. 

Smith said it's "unprecedented" that a show would get a two-season order just from a pitch. 

"I've been in this business for 30 years and that does not happen," Smith declared. "They ordered two full seasons of "Bel-Air" based on the quality of the pitch and the work that you guys have done. So I want to say congratulations. I am hyped.” 

According to Deadline, the project was pitched last month to streaming services and it came down to Peacock and Netflix. 

Cooper's fan film was published in March 2019 and has more than 6 million views. Will Smith told the filmmaker last April that he thought it was a "brilliant" idea.  

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After the "Bel-Air" trailer went viral, Cooper told Smith that he envisioned the first season of the drama would focus on the rest of Will's junior year after he's sent to live with his relatives in Bel Air.  

HBO Max is the current streaming home of the original series and recently announced a cast reunion special. 

The original "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" ran for six seasons and just under 150 episodes on NBC. Cooper is set to co-write and direct the project and Smith would serve as one of the show's executive producers.

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