The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air reboot casts Jabari Banks in lead role
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot has found its new “Will Smith”. Newcomer Jabari Banks has landed the title role of the streetwise, rags-to-riches Philadelphia native originally played by Will Smith in the upcoming Peacock series.
Banks is a recent 2020 graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Much like the character he’ll be playing and Will Smith himself, Jabari hails from West Philadelphia. Aside from being an actor who has just attained his dream role, Jabari is also a rapper, songwriter, and basketball player. The role of Will Smith will be his first acting gig. He is represented by Frontline Management and The Kohner Agency.
The Peacock one-hour drama is a reimagined vision of the hit 1990s sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and a viral trailer created by Morgan Cooper. The original series catapulted Will Smith’s career as an award-winning actor and he’ll serve as an executive producer for the new series. He was blown away by the trailer and thought it was “brilliant”.
The reboot’s premise is nearly identical to its 90’s counterpart but the story will be set in modern-day America. Back in September 2020, Bel-Air was picked up for two seasons, but the launch date has been pushed back to 2022 due to the exit of the series’ showrunners.
The official synopsis follows:
"“Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air is a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90’s 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,”"
In a heartwarming video uploaded by Peacock, Will Smith shares the life-changing news with Banks, and the latter tells the story of how he auditioned for the coveted role.
You can see the video below.
Recently, Will Smith and the original Fresh Prince cast (sans James Avery) were brought back together for the 30th reunion of the iconic show, which ran on NBC from 1990 to 1996.
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What do you think of the choice for Will Smith (the character)? What are your expectations for the Bel-Air reboot? Let us know in the comments!