Will Smith Offers the Lead Role in THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR Reboot to Jabari Banks
As you may have heard, Peacock is developing a reboot of Will Smith’s classic ‘90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The new series will be titled Bel-Air and it will be a bit darker and more gritty.
Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith are producers on the project and Will Smith recently offered the lead role of the series to West Philadelphia native Jabari Banks. Peacock shared an announcement video that features Smith offering Banks the role.
Banks says in the video, "This is a dream come true. The way this show has impacted me and my life is incredible." The young actor even showed off a photo of him and his friends dressed as the cast of the original series. So, the guy is a true fan. It’s pretty cool that he managed to land the role!
The series is inspired by a fan trailer created by writer and director Morgan Cooper that went super viral. Cooper will direct, co-write, and co-executive produce the series.
The new series is set in modern-day America, Bel-Air is “a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that leans into the original premise: Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and fun nods to the original show.”
Original series creators Andy and Susan Borowitz are also executive producers on the project, as well as original series producers Quincy Jones and Benny Medina. Additional executive producers include Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Malcolm Spellman along with T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson, who will also serve as showrunners.
Bel-Air will stream exclusively on Peacock and is expected to arrive in 2022.