There seems to be some trouble up in Bel-Air as the showrunner of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air drama reboot at Peacock steps down. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Chris Collins (The Wire), who would have been the showrunner and executive producer, has left the show, titled Bel-Air.
Collins was also set to co-write the series alongside Morgan Cooper (Black Boy Joy). T.J. Brady (The 100) and Rasheed Newson (The 100) will both step in as the series’ new showrunners. The duo have worked on shows such as Showtime’s The Chi, TNT’s Animal Kingdom, and USA Network’s Shooter. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Collins left the series due to creative differences with Peacock. Peacock wanted a network-style show, while Collins envisioned an edgy, premium-style for the series.
Bel-Air is based on the viral video by Cooper, which reimagined the classic 90s sitcom starring Will Smith (Aladdin) into a drama. Peacock gave the series a two-season order in Septemeber 2020. Peacock landed the series after a fierce bidding war with other streamers including Netflix and HBO Max. The series was set to release this year, but it has been pushed back to 2022. It has also yet to have started casting.
Diane Houston (Empire) was set to be the second showrunner replacing Collins, but The Hollywood Reporter also reported that she departed the series as well. It is unclear, however, what Houston wanted for the series.
Bel-Air, set in modern-day America, will be a serialized one-hour dramatic reimagining and will follow the same premise as the original series. Will Smith, who headlined the series during its six-year run, will also executive produce.