Will Is Hit With Inspiration…

“I saw this, uh, trailer that Morgan Cooper hooked up, and it was called ‘Bel-Air,'” Will Smith mentions during the above interview with the director. “This is the first time I’ve heard something, and I was like, ‘Yo! That’s an idea that is BRILLIANT!’”

According to the director, Bel-Air is a “re-imagining” and “re-interpretation” of Will Smith’s story, with a 2019 twist.

During the interview, Smith points out that — even though Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was funny — “there was a whole other layer that you just couldn’t do.”

“The dramatic version of these ideas means you can use existing storylines. But, it’s not going to seem like you’re redoing an episode because the storyline’s going to be brand new from the dramatic perspective.”

As Director Morgan Cooper talks about the pilot episode with Smith, he mentions the basketball scene. In the background, you can see the gang members on the sideline as “Will” — played by Jerry Madison — is playing with friends.

Of course, the ball goes flying over and hits one of them in the face. However, the scene doesn’t play out as kiddish as the “Fresh Prince” sitcom into depicts. Things take a very dark turn. As it turns out, it wasn’t “one little fight.”

“We get to go back to the beginning and start talking about my real experiences,” says Will Smith, as he discussed the new Bel-Air series with the director and crew. “For instance, I moved to L.A. and started ‘Fresh Prince’, and all my friends started getting killed or going to jail. The escape that I made from it, in real life, was the escape that ‘Will’ made in the show. Was I going to be that same statistic, or was I going to do and be something different?“