A Young Martin Prequel Series Is in the Works From Martin Lawrence
Bel-Air re-envisioned Will’s life with dramatic flair, and now Martin Payne is getting similar treatment.
The hour-long drama Young Martin, a reimagining of Martin Lawrence’s beloved 1990s sitcom character, is in the works from the veteran actor, our sister site Deadline reports.
The series, which is set in present-day Detroit, follows young Payne, a “spirited teenager whose journey is characterized by ambition, humor, and a genuine compassion for those around him,” per the official logline.
The project will touch on themes of family, friendship and life as Payne balances adolescence and adulthood. Martin’s “quick wit and magnetic personality draw him into high-stakes situations, where he must confront obstacles, emotions, and ultimately, find his path to success.”
The show is currently not attached to a network.
Martin, which aired for five seasons (from 1992-1997) on Fox, followed the titular radio talk show host as he navigated the highs and lows of his relationship with girlfriend Gina (played by Tisha Campbell) and friends Tommy (Thomas Mikal Ford), Cole (Carl Anthony Payne II) and Pam (Tichina Arnold).
The surviving cast reunited in 2022 for the BET+ special Martin: The Reunion, where they shared behind-the-scenes stories and discussed the show’s legacy and impact. OG cast member Ford passed away in 2016.
Young Martin is executive-produced by Lawrence, Rae Proctor, Robert Lawrence and Stacy Lyles under the banner RunTelDat, along with Bob Yari, David McPherson, Rosa Peart, Greg Martin for WonderHill Studios.
Martin is one of my favorite sitcoms of all-time but that’s mainly bc how funny Martin Lawrence is. From all the characters he played to the great supporting cast on the show, it was great. This new show is an awful idea. No one wants to see someone imitate a young Martin, that’s going to come off like some sketch comedy show making fun of it. If you asked me what would be some of the worst prequel ideas for a tv show, this would be near the top. Leave this show alone, call it something else. I can’t see any network or streaming service interested in this.
BET….
Another cash-grabby Prequel that will no doubt do it’s darndest to replace the Original work with new Continuity and Canon… Leave it alone.
Pointless cash grab prequel.
This works only if it’s set in 70s/80s during titular characters youth. Why present day? Otherwise I will still watch because his youth was mentioned in numerous episodes. How did he become someone to kick everyone out? How was high school really like with Pretty Ricky? Or elementary school with Ms. Trinidad? Meeting Tommy and Cole?
No way that works. There’s only one Martin Lawrence, anyone trying to be a younger version of him will come off as a Saturday Night Live sketch making fun of him. Martin only worked bc of him.
They should make an Old Martin sequel instead. All the young whoever prequels are getting boring. Show Martin to be an older dude who while getting into crazy situations still manages to show the younger kids that he’s still the bad a** that he always has been.
Please tell me that Young Martin will be Martin Lawrence dressed as a teeneger.