'Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air' Reboot Comes With More Serious Tone

"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" was the hit show of the '90s created by Andy and Susan Borowitz. In the sitcom, Will Smith played the role of Will, a street smart teen who was brought up in West Philadelphia before being sent to live with his wealthy uncle and aunt in Bel-Air. The sitcom ran for six seasons with over 148 episodes and was Smith's pathway into the movie industry.

The popular sitcom is now set for a reboot with fresh faces and a more promising plot. The reboot will be released on February 13 on Peacock and will apparently have a more modern twist and dramatic take.

A trailer for the reboot was released on Monday, and it gave the first peek into the highly anticipated series. Much like the original series, a story followed a street smart teen from Philadelphia who moved in with his wealthy relatives in Bel-Air.

"Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is known as the television show that brought Smith to the limelight, so it's no surprise that the actor would hold it close to his heart. Smith was barely 21 when he got the role, and it served as a vehicle on his route to fame.

Five years ago, the actor was asked if there would be a reboot of the show, and he said that the chances of that happening were "pretty close to when hell freezes over." However, a fan fiction "trailer" of the show was released in 2019 by Morgan Cooper on YouTube, and it gained a lot of popularity. The video restructured the show as a brooding drama set in modern times.

This eventually led to a meet-up between Smith and Cooper, and preparations for the reboot started. This new show is called "Bel-Air," based on Cooper's viral concept trailer on YouTube.

The sitcom reboot trailer was released earlier this week and gave a taste of just what to expect for the coming episodes. The trailer began with, "This town will try to make you forget who you are and where you came from," then scenes of lead actor Jabari Banks as Will flooded the screen. "Don't let it do that."

For its lead character, the show went for Banks, a complete newcomer, to play the part of Will. The new actor's father was the one who knew about the auditions and encouraged his son, who grew up in West Philadelphia, to go for it, and it was apparently a good decision.

Besides Banks, other actors in the series are Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Jimmy Akingbola, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar, Jordan L. Jones, and Simone Joy Jones. The show's executive producers are Smith, Benny Medina, Quincy Jones, and Andy and Susan Borowitz.

According to Peacock, the reboot will approach the story "with a reimagined vision ... [diving] 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 show's official synopsis describes it as a "dramatic analog" of the original sitcom. While there were some changes, it still upheld the original premise: Will moving to his relatives' mansion in Bel-Air. The original show brushed real-life topics like gun violence and the likes; this reboot will undoubtedly go deeper into themes of wealth, class, and race.

The original "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" didn't lack celebrity guest stars in its episodes. The sitcom notable had big-name celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Boyz II Men make a cameo appearance.

All the celebrities played themselves, but none made the impression that Willian Shatner did. The actor appeared on an episode and, under the effects of nitrous oxide, hallucinated about "Star Trek." Former American president Donald Trump even appeared on an episode in season four of the sitcom.

However, while celebrity cameo appearances are normal in sitcoms, they aren't as popular in straight dramas. The released trailer of the series didn't hint that any celebrity would be in the series. Still, a cameo appearance from Smith would be highly welcomed for obvious reasons.