This ‘Prince’ is No Clown: Peacock’s First Trailer for ‘Bel-Air’ Reboot Reveals a Darker Take on the Story
With all due respect to the original, Will Smith as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on NBC could get a little silly. It looks like he’s taking things more seriously the second time around.
Peacock released a trailer for its reboot, called Bel-Air, this time produced by Smith but starring newcomer Jabari Banks, and it’s clear that this take won’t have the jokey tone or three-camera sitcom look of the original. Instead, the show is going for a richer, more somber tone, both for the story and the production values.
For one thing, it is obvious that in this iteration, it took more than “one little fight” (as heard in the original show’s iconic theme) to get Will shipped off to Bel-Air from Philly: here Will’s back story is fleshed out complete with handguns and handcuffs.
And there are more differences. Neither Uncle Phil nor Carlton look like they are going to be the butt of Will’s jokes in this version. Uncle Phil seems to be a bit on the intimidating side and Carlton appears to be – if you can believe it – cool here. Though he is still shorter than Will. and Geoffrey has an air of mystery about him, like he’s secretly in MI-6, perhaps.
Executive produced by Smith and co-written and directed by Morgan Cooper, whose viral 2019 trailer inspired the series’ premise, Bel-Air‘s tagline promises a more “raw” and grounded depiction of Will’s story of growth and redemption. Here, Banks’ Will is struggling to settle into his new life in Bel-Air amid his tense relationship with his status-obsessed cousin and the pressures placed on him. In overcoming his challenges adjusting to his new school and responsibilities, Will will have to let go of the past and embrace the chance at a new life he has been given.
Bel-Air stars Jabari Banks as Will, Adrian Holmes as Uncle Phil, Cassandra Freeman as Aunt Viv, Olly Sholotan as Carlton, Coco Jones as Hilary, Akira Akbar as Ashley, Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey, Jordan L. Jones as Jazz and Simone Joy Jones as Lisa.
Peacock’s Bel-Air will premiere on Super Bowl Sunday (February 13th) with three episodes at launch followed by new episodes released weekly.