Bel-Air (film)
Bel-Air is a 2019 short fan film written and directed by Morgan Cooper, based on the 1990s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". The film serves as a mock trailer for a darker, more dramatic re-imagining of the sitcom. It was uploaded on YouTube on March 10, 2019. In August 2020, it was announced that it was being developed into a full television show, with Cooper and original series star Will Smith as executive producers. The series had reportedly been in the works for over a year since Cooper posted his "Bel-Air" trailer  on YouTube, with Netflix, NBC's Peacock, and HBO Max all bidding for the series. On September 8, 2020, it was picked up by Peacock, which gave "Bel-Air" a two-season order. Plot. After being involved in a gang fight during a street basketball game, Will Smith is sent by his mother out of the rough streets of Philadelphia to live with his uncle and aunt in the affluent neighborhood of Bel Air, Los Angeles, in the hopes of straightening out his life. The film is supposed to take place in 2019. The trailer is heavily influenced by modern -day popular culture, according to Cooper in an interview. Cast. NOTE: The characters Geoffrey Butler and Nicky Banks (portrayed by Joseph Marcell and Ross Bagley in the original series) do not appear in the film. Production. Morgan Cooper shot the Philadelphia sequences of "Bel-Air" in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, in a span of six months. Reception and expansion. Will Smith, who played the main character of the original sitcom, heavily praised the fan film, commenting that "Morgan did a ridiculous trailer for "Bel-Air". Brilliant idea, the dramatic version of The Fresh Prince for the next generation ." He also hinted at options of expanding the idea beyond the short film. On August 11, 2020, the series Bel-Air was officially announced after being in the works for over a year. At the time, Netflix, HBO Max, and Peacock were bidding for the rights to the show. On September 8, 2020, Peacock gave the series a two-season order under the title "Bel-Air", with Westbrook Inc. and Universal Television producing. Smith and Cooper executive-produce, alongside Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Malcolm Spellman, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, Andy Borowitz, and Susan Borowitz. An online premiere for  the series was held on February 9, 2022, by Crown & Conquer. The series premiered on Peacock on February 13, 2022.