A teaser trailer for the reboot of 90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" was released Tuesday, with West Philly's Jabari Banks filling the role of Will Smith's iconic character.
"Bel Air" which premieres in 2022 as a Peacock original series, provides a dramatic spin on the premise of the original show. Banks will perform as Will as the West Philadelphia character leaves his hometown to live in a Los Angeles suburb.
The one-minute teaser features Banks as Will, underwater, seemingly chasing after a crown and a throne, which he settles into as Will Smith voices a dramatic read-through of the original show's theme song.
The show, which is set in modern-day America, is essentially an hour-long dramatic version of the original sitcom. Its synopsis reads that it will lean deeper into the conflicts and tribulations associated with Will's journey from West Philadelphia to Bel Air, with "nods to the original show."
Smith announced Banks' casting at the beginning of September, and although Banks is not a Philly native like Will Smith, he has been living in the city since attending the University of the Arts, where he graduated in 2020.
The reboot was created by "Fresh Prince" fan Morgan Cooper, who created a mock trailer in 2019 for a dramatic spinoff of the original series. Following Tuesday's release of the official teaser,
Cooper tweeted, "Manifestation is real... Thankful for this amazing cast and crew."
"We’re able to go have tough conversations that challenge perspectives. At its core, Bel-Air is a celebration of the black experience through the perspective of a family," Cooper
told Deadline ahead of the release.
Alongside Jabari Banks, the show stars Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, and more. Will Smith is among the listed executive producers, as his and Jada Pinkett Smith's joint Westbrook Studios is alongside Universal Television in producing the show.
The full teaser is available below.
Peacock/YouTube
