DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith’s early career to be subject of new film and TV series

DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith’s early music career will be the subject of a new fictional film and TV series titled 215.

Deadline reports that the scripted series comes from Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios, in partnership with The Malar Group, comprising a slew of film and television projects.

While it’s unclear whether the musicians-turned-actors will appear in the series, Deadline notes that it will tell their story through a pair of teenagers in the early stages of their musical careers and the friends who helped their come-up.

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The series will also follow the rapper and DJ as they seek out a record deal during Philadelphia's hip hop explosion, and sees them navigate with the fallout of overnight fame.

Speaking to Deadline, Westbrook Studios’ Terence Carter explains: "215 is especially meaningful to us because it draws from the rise of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince and celebrates Philadelphia during such a defining era."

He described the project as one that’s "rooted in friendship, ambition and the integrity of this specific time and place", set to the backdrop of Philadelphia’s burgeoning hip hop scene in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

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"215 caught our attention immediately," The Malar Group’s Sayan Navaratnam also told Deadline, describing it as the "untold origin story" of the two artists.

"At its heart, it’s about two people who believed in each other, overcame extraordinary odds and built something that endured," Navaratnam adds.

Together, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith produced five albums during a ten-year period, and bagged a GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989.

[Via Deadline]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor