Will Smith Reveals Lead Actor In "Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" Reboot

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The actor playing Will Smith in Peacock's dramatic reimagining of "The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" has been revealed.

Will Smith and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air cast celebrated the 30-year anniversary of its premiere last year. Like most popular shows in the 90s, there have been discussions for a revamped version set in modern times. That hasn't worked out well for shows like Boy Meets World or Full House but there is hope for the Fresh Prince. Peacock announced that they'd be revamping the show for modern times with a dramatic twist, which appears to be a take on Morgan cooper's viral video. 

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Earlier today Will Smith revealed the actor who will be taking on the role as the Fresh Prince on Instagram. Smith welcomed West Philaldephia's Jabari Banks in a video posted to his Instagram Page. Smith shares footage from a Zoom call he had with Banks where he broke the news to him. “From the deepest parts of my heart, I wanna say congratulations to you. You have the role of Will on Bel -Air," Smith told Banks.

The upcoming series has already been ordered for two seasons by Peacock. Universal and Westbrook Studios, which is a part of Will and Jada's Westbrook Inc., will serve as the producers for the series.

"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," a synopsis of the show reads.

Check out Will's post below.

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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