Morgan Cooper and Will Smith
Kansas City fillmmaker Morgan Cooper is collaborating with Will Smith on a dramatic reboot of the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." (Cole Blaise | Flatland)

KC Filmmaker Offers Fresh Take on the Fresh Prince

August 28, 2020  |  Cole Blaise  |  1 min read

Rethink. Reimagine. Reboot.

Kansas City filmmaker Morgan Cooper had a crazy idea. What would the “‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” look like as a drama?

That idea turned into a concept trailer. That trailer turned into an interview with Will Smith. And that interview turned into “Bel-Air,” the series.

“Morgan did a ridiculous trailer for ‘Bel-Air’ — a brilliant idea for the dramatic version of the Fresh Prince for the next generation,” Smith said on his YouTube channel.

Watch the attached video for more as Cooper, whose work such as “Burnt Legend” has appeared on Kansas City PBS, discusses his inspiration for the show and his motivations as a rising filmmaker.

“At the core of what we do is to give back and inspire and empower our community,” Cooper said.

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