Maya Hawke is the latest star to join the cast of Maestro!
11.04.2022 - 02:59 / deadline.com
Bel-Air is Peacock’s one-hour drama series that re-imagines the beloved ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air through a modern, dramatic take on Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.
Joining moderator Matt Grobar at Deadline’s Contenders Television at the Paramount Theatre to discuss the 10-episode drama series were series creator Morgan Cooper; co-showrunner Rasheed Newson; actor Jabari Banks, who plays Will; and actor Cassandra Freeman, who plays Aunt Viv.
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The series was not picked up in a typical fashion. Rather than an adaptation or reboot being tossed around in the offices of sunny Hollywood, Cooper made a viral trailer released on YouTube that caught the eyes of certain people, landing him a meeting with the star of the original sitcom: Will Smith.
“We’re driving down Highway 71 and this vision hit me to reimagine The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a modern drama, and I knew it was a special idea,” Cooper recalled. “I invested my money in a short film that I made called Bel-Air (watch it below), released on YouTube in March of 2019, and less than a day later Westbrook reached out and I was in Calabasas the next day face-timing with Will. He said, ‘What do you want to do?’ and I pitched him my idea to reimagine this is as a one hour drama. Several years later, here we are.”
The creators of the show had a delicate balancing act with adapting the classic sitcom: respecting and being faithful to the source material and also forging a new legacy with their own creative vision.
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“Luckily we have a trailer from Morgan and we had the history of the show to draw on,”
Maya Hawke is the latest star to join the cast of Maestro!
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Deadline’s Contenders Television launches the small-screen awards season in a big way beginning Saturday morning with a weekend-long in-person extravaganza that will see the stars and creatives from 48 buzzworthy series take the stage at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles.
Selome Hailu Austin Stowell, Patrick Fischler, Bree Elrod and Philip Ettinger have been cast in “A Friend of the Family,” Peacock’s upcoming true crime limited series from UCP and showrunner and executive producer Nick Antosca.The series is based on the true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan (Hendrix Yancey) was kidnapped multiple times over a period of years by Robert “B” Berchtold (Jake Lacy), a charismatic, obsessed family “friend.” The Brobergs — devoted to their faith, family and community — were utterly unprepared for the sophisticated tactics their neighbor used to exploit their vulnerabilities, drive them apart and turn their daughter against them. “A Friend of the Family” follows how their lives were permanently altered and how they survived.
Chris Rock, 57, looked quite somber during his latest outing in New York City. The comedian was photographed walking outside with a serious look on his face and his hands in his pockets, just over a week after Will Smith, 53, shockingly slapped him while on stage at the 2022 Academy Awards. He wore a black jacket with cargo pants and colorful sneakers during the stroll and added sunglasses and a pair of headphones around his neck.
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Sharing their thoughts. Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ignited a conversation — including from the Philadelphia native’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air costars.
Chelsea Handler, who is nominated for her first GRAMMY ever, spoke with ET’s Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner while walking the red carpet at the 64th GRAMMY Awards with boyfriend Jo Koy. The two addressed the slapping incident that occurred between Will Smith and Chris Rock one week prior at the 94th Academy Awards, with Handler praising Rock for keeping his poise onstage. “I just think Chris Rock handled himself with such aplomb and is such a pro and that, you know, he could not have reacted in a better way,” Handler said.
Will Smith’s palm. When you’re covering Oscars parties, naïve friends and family will tell you to “look out” for certain stars for them, not realizing the weekend isn’t about celebrity sightings and selfies, but a grueling yet glamorous slog of sleepless nights, slippery scoops, PR provocations, hors d’oeuvres and anxiety. You become completely un-star struck.
Cole Sprouse has spoken out about his love life as he almost never does — and likely won’t again!
SPOILER ALERT: The following article contains details about the “Bel-Air” season finale.