‘Bel-Air’ Cast & Creator On Being Faithful To The Classic Sitcom While Forging New Identity – Contenders TV

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Bel-Air is Peacock’s one-hour drama series that re-imagines the beloved ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air through a modern, dramatic take on Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.Joining moderator Matt Grobar at Deadline’s Contenders Television at the Paramount Theatre to discuss the 10-episode drama series were series creator Morgan Cooper; co-showrunner Rasheed Newson; actor Jabari Banks, who plays Will; and actor Cassandra Freeman, who plays Aunt Viv.Contenders TV — Deadline’s Complete CoverageThe series was not picked up in a typical fashion.

Rather than an adaptation or reboot being tossed around in the offices of sunny Hollywood, Cooper made a viral trailer released on YouTube that caught the eyes of certain people, landing him a meeting with the star of the original sitcom: Will Smith.“We’re driving down Highway 71 and this vision hit me to reimagine The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a modern drama, and I knew it was a special idea,” Cooper recalled. “I invested my money in a short film that I made called Bel-Air (watch it below), released on YouTube in March of 2019, and less than a day later Westbrook reached out and I was in Calabasas the next day face-timing with Will.

He said, ‘What do you want to do?’ and I pitched him my idea to reimagine this is as a one hour drama. Several years later, here we are.”The creators of the show had a delicate balancing act with adapting the classic sitcom: respecting and being faithful to the source material and also forging a new legacy with their own creative vision.Deadline Contenders Television Arrivals – Day 2 Photo Gallery“Luckily we have a trailer from Morgan and we had the history of the show to draw on,”