‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ spinoff gets a two-season order at Peacock.
Update Wednesday, September 9, 2020: Peacock has picked up two seasons of the drama series reboot of the classic sitcom “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Via YouTube on Tuesday, Will Smith broke the news. The series, which is titled “Bel-Air,” will be based on the Morgan Cooper viral video, which reimagines the NBC comedy series as a drama. The trailer, which Morgan Cooper posted last year, received over 5 million views on YouTube.
Set in modern-day America, “Bel-Air” is a one-hour drama based on the 90’s sitcom, which focuses on the show’s original storyline: Will Smith’s harrowing journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. The series was first announced as being in development last month.
Cooper is attached to co-write and direct the project and will also serve as a co-executive producer. Chris Collins will serve as showrunner and executive producer in addition to co-writing the script with Cooper. Smith will executive produce via Westbrook Studios along with Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and the show’s original series creators Andy and Susan Borowitz. Miguel Melendez and Westbrook Studios’ Terence Carter will also executive produce. Also, Westbrook Studios and Universal Television will produce.
In relevant news, HBO Max announced they would air an unscripted “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reunion special. The upcoming special will include Will Smith and Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, and Alfonso Ribeiro, as will DJ Jazzy Jeff. The episode is set to tape on September 10 and will debut on HBO Max around Thanksgiving. In fact, ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Reunion Special is now casting fans. Casting directors are now casting Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans to appear in the upcoming Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s 30th Anniversary Reunion Special on HBO Max.
Will Smith, aka Mr. July, has transformed the film industry with his acting, movies, and productions. Now, the ‘Gemini Man’ is expanding his brand by making new and different investments and opportunities.
In 2016, Will Smith was at a pivotal time in his career. After 30 years in the film industry, he was struggling to remain unbeaten after three movies, ‘Concussion,’ ‘Focus’ and ‘After Earth’ failed to connect with audiences. Then, ‘Collateral Beauty’ happened, making it the worst film opening in his acting career.
Things were not looking too high for the actor. Smith then starred in Netflix’s ‘Bright,’ which was the spark to reignite his acting career. Smith earned $27 million upfront, which is double what Warner Bros. would pay for Smith to appear in his movie, and the film allowed him to reach international audiences in 190 countries.
After seeing The Rock’s social media success, he pressed his agency to surround him with a team that can build a social media presence. The next year he gained over 38 million followers on Instagram, 77 million on Facebook, and 6.75 million on YouTube. The actor has focused on creating content and becoming an A-list actor in the digital age. In the past two years, Smith has changed his brand with web videos allowing him to build a following of over 100 hundred million.
His hard work is paying off. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter, Smith made $12.5 million upfront and a significant backend deal. He now has twice as many video videos as the most famous person on Instagram. 12 to 20% of all online trailer views for Disney’s ‘Aladdin‘ came from Will Smith’s social media presence. The movie would later make $1.05 billion globally. Thus, Illustrating how his social media following is essential to the commercial success of his films and TV shows.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Spinoff
Westbrook, the company that curates Smith’s social media content, is now being hired by studios. But, Smith is doing more than focusing on building a movie career; the actor is investing in startups. Smith’s Dreamers venture capital fund invests in dozens of startups, including Sandbox VR, Flockjay, and NOx.
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