Martin Lawrence Preparing ‘Young Martin’ Prequel

It looks like Martin Lawrence has taken a page out of his friend Will Smith’s book and will have a drama version of his hit show, “Martin” but also as a prequel for the long-running comedy series.

According to Deadline, Lawrence, along with his production company, RunTelDat, and Marvin Peart‘s WonderHill Studios will be producing “Young Martin.” The upcoming television series, instead of being a comedy series, will be an hour-long drama that will predate the “Martin” series that aired on Fox from 1992-1997.

“Out of all the hit shows during the 90’s, there was only one “Martin” — a show that defined culture and positivity. “Martin” reflected a real group of friends from our community that wound up on TV screens all over the world,” WonderHill CEO Marvin Peart said in a written statement. “I respected and revered Martin Lawrence for creating Martin Payne and what he did for African Americans on television in front and behind the camera. In many ways, he influenced my path in the entertainment industry and it’s an honor to partner with Martin and his younger self and share him with the next generation of fans.”

The series will be set in modern-day Detroit and will follow a young Martin Payne. The drama will showcase Payne as a spirited and charismatic teenager growing up as he transitions from a boy to the man we saw on the sitcom starring Lawrence and his circle of friends.

The dramatization will be similar to how Smith presented his former half-hour sitcom, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” to its current version as an hour-long drama, “Bel-Air.”

“Young Martin” will be executive produced by Lawrence, Rae Proctor, Robert Lawrence, and Stacy Lyles from RunTelDat, along with Peart, Bob Yari, David McPherson, Rosa Peart, and Greg Martin for WonderHill Studios.

“Martin” co-created with John Bowman and Topper Carew, lasted for five seasons, and earned People’s Choice and NAACP Image awards during its run.

Martin Lawrence Preparing ‘Young Martin’ Prequel