A new look is given to Fresh Prince in new Bel-Air trailer

Peacock has dropped the trailer for Bel-Air, the rebooted series of its 90’s origin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  The series will drive into a more dramatic approach, rather than comedy its predecessor was known for.

Jabari Banks has been “crowned” as the new Will Smith and he is living the sweet life that Bel-Air has to offer and more.  His wealthy Uncle Phil takes him under his wing in the posh town of Bel-Air, California from the crime-infested streets of West Philadelphia where Will was endangering his life.   However, Will must earn his keep in the privileged community by staying out of trouble and changing his attitude towards authority.

The ‘reimagined‘ series will take place in the present-day but will have the same issues that a young Black individual copes with.  Additionally, Bel-Air will have a timeframe of an hour, instead of a half-hour that Fresh Prince had.  By extending the airtime by thirty minutes, topics can be fully explored and materialized, rather than having more than just a gloss over.

In the trailer, we see the new Will immersed in a luxury pool as he swims to sit on his throne as well as floating basketballs, trophies, and ATVs, symbolic of Will’s lifestyle.  The original Fresh Prince opening song can be heard, but as a spoken narration given by the original Smith, rather than the fun, upbeat rap that he performed over thirty years ago.  The narration tone highlights that Bel-Air will be sculpted as a drama and not a sitcom.

Check out the Bel-Air trailer below:

Jabari Banks was handpicked by Will Smith through video call, and playing the new Will will be his first television role.  Joining him will be Andrian Holmes as Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton, Coco Jones as Hilary, Akira Akbar as Ashley, Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffry Butler, Jordan L. Jones as Smith’s best friend Jazz, and Simone Joy Jones as Smith’s girlfriend, Lisa.

Bel-Air was materialized by a popular 2019 viral video of the same name, produced by Morgan Cooper.  Cooper, alongside Will Smith, will be executive producers, and TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson will serve as showrunners.

The press release from Peacock mentions the synopsis as 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. 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."

The series will debut in 2022 on Peacock.