Two years ago, an eager fan of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had the idea of an unflinching drama adaptation of the 90s' sitcom series, even going as far as to whip up a mock trailer of his own accord.
It wasn't long until aspiring filmmaker Morgan Cooper caught the attention of Will Smith. Now, the official trailer of the brand new modern-day NBC series, which was produced by Smith in collaboration with Cooper, has finally dropped, causing a worldwide stir of excitement.
The plotline of a troubled teenager moving from his home in West Philadelphia to stay with wealthy relatives The Banks remains completely intact, however the comedic tone of the show has been turned upside down.
The 1990 original saw the lead character of Will get "into one little fight" before being transported to the rich Los Angeles neighbourhood, while the new series Bel-Air, which will air on Peacock in February, will look more closely at the events that lead up to his move. Instead, the trailer shows Will, played by newcomer Jabari Banks, firing a gun on a basketball court, being slammed into a metal fence and spending time in prison.
At the mansion, he is greeted by a swanky and suave version of butler Geoffrey, played by British actor Jimmy Akingbola, whom he asks, "Do you know the reason I'm here?". Geoffrey answers: "Scrap on the ball court, things got nasty, and now some bad man from Philly wants to deal with you."
The titular characters of Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv (originally played by James Avery and Janet Hubert) will return with a fresh new look as Adrian Holmes and Cassandra Freeman.
Similarly, Will's cousins and true Beverley Hills royalty Hillary and Ashley are back in the form of Coco Jones and Akira Akbar, whilst Carlton, famously portrayed as a bumbling and awkward high school student by Alfonso Ribeiro in the original sitcom, will return as something of a status symbol, played by Olly Sholotan. Speaking about his latest producing project, recent Golden Globe-winning actor Smith explained on YouTube: "Three years ago, my guy Morgan Cooper uploaded his fan trailer to YouTube, showing how he envisioned the Fresh Prince as a drama.
"Now, here is the first full look at his retelling of the story that's always been so close to my heart. Bel-Air kicks off with three episodes airing on NBC's streaming service Peacock on 13 February, before moving to a weekly schedule.
Bel-Air is streaming from February 14 on Peacock on Sky/NOW.
