Between 1990 and 1996, Will Smith starred as a fictionalised version of himself in six seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But Smith won’t be taking the role of Will Smith in the upcoming reboot, simply titled Bel-Air.
Instead, Jabari Banks stars as Will Smith, alongside Adrian Holmes as Will’s uncle Philip Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Will’s aunt Vivian Banks, and Olly Sholotan as the lead character’s pompous cousin Carlton Banks.
Bel-Air is streaming exclusively on Stan from Monday, 14th February. The streaming service has unveiled the first official trailer for the upcoming series, which is a dramatic reimagining of the classic 90s sitcom.
In the trailer, we see Will arrive in the affluent LA neighbourhood, Bel-Air, in order to move in with his well-off aunt, uncle and cousins. The trailer touches on the circumstances that forced Will to move west; namely an altercation on the basketball court that turned ugly. Watch the trailer below.
The new series was developed by Will Smith and Morgan Cooper, the latter of whom gained attention with his 2019 short film, Bel-Air. Much like Cooper’s short film, Bel-Air has a considerably more solemn tone than the original television series. It’s also set in the present day.
