Peacock's Fresh Prince Reboot Changes Showrunner

The previously announced dramatic re-interpretation of the popular '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is getting new co-showrunners in T.J. Brady (The 100) and Rasheed Newson (Narcos). This news comes via The Hollywood Reporter, which is also reporting that Chris Collins (The Wire) is stepping down from his post as showrunner and executive producer on the series.

It's unknown what involvement Collins may now have with the developing series, but Brady and Newson were already working with him on the project previously. No cast members have yet been announced for the series, and it's also unknown if any of the original series cast members will appear. (A reunion aired last fall, indicating many of the original cast members still have a fondness for the series.) However, there's still reason to expect this to see the light of day--The Hollywood Reporter is also indicating that the series will debut on Peacock sometime in 2022, with a two-season order.

The concept originated from a four-minute viral clip that was originally posted in March 2019 by Kansas City filmmaker Morgan Cooper. The clip, which you can watch above, quickly picked up steam and turned out to be a breakthrough video for Cooper, who has been collaborating with Will Smith on the series. (You can watch a longer, nine-minute video from Smith offering his feelings and reactions to the clip here.)

According to a release, Bel-Air is a serialized adaptation "that leans into the original premise: Will's complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a re-imagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show."