Sources say that the new show would keep the “spirit of Fresh Prince” by focusing on a family that includes a fish-out-of-water character. The original, which starred Will Smith as Will, did the same, telling the story of a teenage boy from a rough area of Philadelphia who was sent to live with wealthy relatives in Bel-Air.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air launched Smith’s acting career after he’d gained fame as a rapper. In fact, NBC built the show around Smith and loosely based his character’s background on his life. After the comedy debuted in 1990, it became very popular, eventually running for six seasons before Smith went on to star in blockbuster films such as Independence Day and the Men in Black series. Fresh Prince reruns continue to air in syndication.
Sadly none of Fresh Prince’s characters will carry over, but that’s to be expected given that it will be an entirely new show, according to Variety sources. With the project currently in preliminary talks, no writer is attached, but Smith, his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, James Lassiter, and Caleeb Pinkett are all on board to executive produce.
NBC is not currently affiliated with the project, but during a Television Critics Association summer press tour event Thursday, NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said the network would be happy to speak with Smith about it.
