Yahoo Sports Will Smith crowns the new Fresh Prince in first Bel-Air teaser
"This is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down."
Sound familiar? Those words from Will Smith's iconic The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song are once again being recited by Smith, but this time for the first Bel-Air teaser.
In the Easter egg-filled video below, Peacock's dramatic reimagining of the beloved '90s sitcom, which is inspired by filmmaker Morgan Cooper's 2019 viral video, crowns newcomer — and Philadelphia native — Jabari Banks as the Fresh Prince for this generation.
"Growing up, people always told me I resembled Will and his energy," Banks recently told EW in an exclusive interview. "When I got the call, they said, 'This isn't Will Smith, superstar.' They weren't going for that. And so when they chose me, it took me a couple of weeks to realize that they chose me for me — for what I do. I just had to lean into my instincts and everything that I've learned from my experiences, and there's so many parallels between me and Will, the character."
Cooper, who is on board as a writer, director, and producer, adds of casting Banks: "You can't mess that up. And I'll never forget that first day, on the first take, right away, he's just fearless in his performance, and I said, 'He's going to be just fine.'"
Here's the official Bel-Air logline: "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."
Bel-Air arrives on Peacock in 2022.
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