SNAPSHOT
What would happen if Will Smith made The Fresh Prince today? Bel-Air, a story of a kid from Philly whose life got turned upside-down… in 2019. (synopsis (c) Sun Squared Media via YouTube)
How do you know you’ve captured the viewing public’s fractured attention in this ever more crowded digital age where options are many and time is still annoyingly stuck in a 24/7 paradigm?
If you have over 6.1 million views and counting, which is precisely what filmmaker Morgan Cooper of Sun Squared Media has with his seriously re-imagined Fresh Prince of Bel-Air which has foregone the laughs and sitcom hilarity of the Will Smith iteration (1990-96) in favour of some very groundedly intense, 21st-century life-and-consequences drama now known simply as Bel-Air.
While the trailer was initially positioned as a fan-made film, it gained Cooper the attention of the original Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith – Jerry Madison play the newest member of transplanted “royalty” – who will be executive producing Bel-Air, which is currently looking for a TV/streaming home, under his Westbrook Studios banner along with original series creators Andy and Suzan Borowitz and producers Quincy Jones and Benny Medina.
Quite where it will land is anyone’s guess but it looks damn good and while time is indeed in short supply, this looks like a show that could be worth your time.
For more information, go to Variety.