Putting your own spin on a cult classic TV show out there is risky business, but getting the star of the show in question to bless the project is the reward of a lifetime. Filmmaker Morgan Cooper has learned this first hand. Cooper, the filmmaker behind the BEL-AIR trailer that made its way across the web at the top of March, shocked and impressed the masses with his reimagined version of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, especially Will Smith.
The original Fresh Prince met up with Cooper in Miami to personally commend him on the work he did on the dramatic reinterpretation of the storied ’90s show. “I saw this trailer that Morgan Cooper hooked up,” he said during the filmed meet-up. “This is the first time that I’ve heard something and that I was like, ‘Yo, that’s an idea that is brilliant.'”
As an added treat, he introduced Cooper to Mike Soccio, a former writer for Fresh Prince. Although Smith has said he’s not down for a Fresh Prince reboot in the past, he admits his intrigue with the somber redirection of Cooper’s BEL-AIR. “The dramatic version of these ideas means that you can use existing storylines, but it’s not going to seem like you’re redoing an episode because the storyline is going to be brand new from the dramatic perspective,” Smith said.
While the trailer can be considered “fan-made” for now, it’ll be interesting to see where the CAA-represented director will take this idea. Either way, Smith seems like he will be in his corner. Watch the entire session up top.
