“El príncipe de Bel- Air” regresa a la televisión convertido en drama

LOS ÁNGELES.- «The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air», o «El príncipe de Bel-Air», una de las series más populares de los años 90, prepara su regreso a la televisión, pero a diferencia de otros «remakes» o secuelas de la pequeña pantalla este proyecto plantea una curiosa novedad: en lugar de una comedia será un drama.

Medios estadounidenses detallaron este martes los planes de Will Smith para, como productor ejecutivo, reinterpretar la historia del joven que pasaba de las calles de Filadelfia (EE.UU.) a las mansiones de Bel-Air (Los Ángeles, EE.UU.) en forma de drama y obviando las risas para todos los públicos de la serie original.

Smith, que encontró la fama tras protagonizar los 148 episodios de «The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air» entre 1990 y 1996, cuenta para esta serie con el respaldo de su esposa Jada Pinkett Smith, con quien comparte proyectos en Westbrook Studios.

También están detrás de esta idea Universal TV y los productores originales de la serie, entre los que destaca el genio de la música Quincy Jones.

Aunque probablemente el nombre más importante de este proyecto sea el de Morgan Cooper.

En 2019, Cooper presentó un cortometraje que simulaba ser un tráiler sobre una hipotética película dramática titulada «Bel-Air» y que calcaba el argumento de «The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air» pero visto desde una perspectiva seria y grave.

Por el momento, el proyecto se ha presentado a diferentes canales y plataformas de «streaming» sin que nadie haya conseguido cerrar un acuerdo, ya que se espera una dura pugna entre las compañías televisivas más importantes de EE.UU. para quedarse con esta nueva serie.

EFE

‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ drama restart in the works

Based on Morgan Cooper’s viral YouTube trailer, the Will Smith, Benny Medina, and Quincy Jones update is currently being purchased from streamers including HBO Max, Peacock, and Netflix, among others.Now it’s a story of how… a viral YouTube trailer is turning into a hot TV series.Will Smith and Morgan Cooper team up to adapt the latter’s dramatic reimagining of the premiere’s beloved NBC comedy The prince of Bel-Air.

Bel-Air is described as a dramatic take on the old NBC comedy that catapulted Smith to stardom after spending six seasons as the smart kid who moved from Philly to the upper class neighborhood.

Sources say The Hollywood Reporter that the new Bel-Air has been in the works for more than a year after the four-minute clip went viral when it was released in March 2019 and caught Smith’s attention. Cooper, a Fresh prince super fan, created and directed the trailer that reimagined the series as if it were a drama. He will co-write the screenplay, direct and be credited as a co-EP.

The drama series is currently being purchased from streamers and is a co-production between Smith’s Westbrook Studios and the original Universal TV producers. Sources say The Hollywood Reporter that Peacock, Netflix, and HBO Max are among the streamers bidding on the potential series. HBO Max is the current broadcast house for the original series.

Original series producers Smith, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina as well as creators Andy and Susan Borowitz are all set to return as executive producers. Chris Collins (The Wire, Crash, Sons of Anarchy) will serve as showrunner, executive producer, and is expected to co-write the screenplay alongside Cooper.

The prince of Bel-Air ran for six seasons from 1990 to 1996 on NBC and was produced by Jones, Warner Bros. TV and what has become Universal Television. Smith has performed alongside James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali, Joseph Marcell and Janet Hubert-Whitten / Daphne Maxwell Reid. Smith has stayed close to the cast and recently reunited with Everyone for SnapChat.

Reboots remain in high demand across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms as they come with built-in recognition and an audience with built-in awareness, which helps reduce marketing costs and facilitates crossing a crowded landscape. The key to reboots is to have the original creators and studio attached, which Bel-Air has in spades. Miguel Melendez and Terence Carter of Westbrook Studios are also attached to executive production.

More from the original source: https://www.fr24news.com/a/2020/08/fresh-prince-of-bel-air-drama-restart-in-the-works.html