Will Smith seeks to recapture the old magic that helped make him a household name by producing a re-imagining of the show he starred in, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Recently, the new cast of Bel-Air, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot, was announced. As predicted, new actors fill those old, familiar roles of Uncle Phil, Aunt Viv, Carlton and the rest of the cast.
But the new faces aren’t the only difference between the original and the remake. Bel-Air has been described as a dramatic retelling that, “leans into the original premise of Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.”
The full main cast has officially been announced for the new iteration which will be broadcast by Peacock. The network went to Instagram to share their big reveal of the new cast which includes the iconic role of Will played by Jabari Banks, who was announced earlier this year. The rest of the cast, per Deadline, includes, “Adrian Holmes (At That Age) as Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman (Atlanta) as Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan (Run Hide Fight) as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones (Let It Shine) as Hilary Banks, Akira Akbar (We Can Be Heroes) as Ashley Banks, Jimmy Akingbola (Most Dangerous Game) as Geoffrey, Jordan L. Jones (Rel) as Jazz and Simone Joy Jones (The Chair) as Lisa.”
According to Deadline, the official description of the new show reads as follows: “Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air, which has a two-season order, is a serialized one-hour dramatic take on the 1990-96 sitcom 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 nods to the original show.”
Earlier this year, Banks used Instagram to publicly celebrate getting the lead role, stating, “Now this is a story all about how, MY life got flipped-turned upside down, And I’d like to take a minute just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called BEL-AIR ✨.” He went on to thank Will Smith specifically for “trusting him” with the role.
As of this writing, Peacock has yet to reveal the date of Bel-Air’s premier.
-theGrio