Will Smith New Films, TV Shows 2015: Smith Set to Produce 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'-Like Show
Will Smith is reportedly producing a show that will be similar to his popular '90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."'
Will Smith's production company, Overbrook Entertainment, is in the early stages of conceptualizing a family comedy that's reportedly going to imitate "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" spirit, Smith's fish-out-of-water 90s sitcom that launched him into stardom.
According to TVLine.com, Overbrook is preparing a pitch for the new series, and will be knocking on network doors to present their new project.
Smith will serve as the show's executive producer, alongside his partners, wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, Caleeb Pinkett, and James Lassiter.
NBC Entertainment, which carried the original "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" series from 1990 to 1996, is not involved in the project, but network chairman Robert Greenblatt mentioned during the Television Critics Association's Beverly Hills summer press tour last Thursday that he would be willing to discuss the show with Smith.
Smith was a 21-year-old emcee and rapper going by the stage name The Fresh Prince when he was originally approached by NBC in 1989 to star in a series. The show was about a street-smart West Philadephia teenager who gets into trouble after a fight, and is sent to live with his wealthy uncle and aunt in Bel Air.
The popular show, which showcased Smith's lifestyle clashes with his rich relatives' bourgeois world as the series' comedic highlights, ran for six seasons of 148 episodes. It propelled Smith to the forefront of his career as an actor, and made the show's theme song, written and performed by Smith, into a well-loved pop culture ditty.
The show was nominated for an Emmy, two Golden Globe Awards, and Kids' Choice Awards, among others during its time on air, and won several of the nominations.
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" starred Alfonso Ribeiro, James Avery, Karyn Parsons, Daphne Maxwell Reid, and Tatyana M. Ali.
Details of Smith's new family-oriented series have yet to be revealed.