The first three episodes of the series will premiere on Super Bowl Sunday.
The new Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has officially made his entrance, and it's safe to say he's making a splash. Peacock released the official trailer for its upcoming new drama Bel-Air, a reimagined drama of the iconic '90 series based on filmmaker Morgan Cooper's 2019 viral video.
While the original Will Smith-led show was largely comedic with its moments of seriousness, Bel-Air decidedly leans into the drama behind the series' original premise, following Will's complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. The series 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.
In the three-minute trailer, the new Will (Jabari Banks) reunites with his estranged Banks family after the famous "one little fight" takes a darker turn that has him running from a Philly "bad man" looking to do some damage. His move from West Philadelphia to live with his wealthy relatives on the other side of the country throws the usually charismatic Will off his game, much like the original. But something ominous lurks beneath the characters' onscreen interactions, dark secrets between family members just waiting to spill out.
Even as Will eventually reclaims his swagger to " sit on his throne as none other than the Prince of Bel-Air," it's clear that his troubles are far from over.
The trailer finally gives fans their first looks at the royal group of co-stars joining Banks in taking on the iconic roles made popular by the original cast.
Adrian Holmes plays stern patriarch Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman is the family's soft-hearted matriarch, Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan stars as a cocky Carlton Banks, Coco Jones is the gorgeously clever Hilary Banks, and Akira Akbar as sweet Ashley Banks. Of course, the Banks family would be hopeless without their faithful house manager, Geoffrey, played by Jimmy Akingbola, as well as Jordan L. Jones joining as Will's best friend, Jazz, and Simone Joy Jones as Lisa.
The series is directed, co-written and co-executive produced by Cooper, who wrote and directed the 2019 four-minute spec trailer.
"With this dramatic reimagining, we wanted to create a show that stands on its own while honoring the spirit and innovation of the original series," Cooper said in a press release. "Because Bel-Air is a drama, we're able to really peel back the layers of these characters and themes in a way that you simply couldn't do 30 years ago in the half-hour sitcom format. We're able to go have tough conversations that challenge perspectives. At its core, Bel-Air is a celebration of the black experience through the perspective of a family."
Chris Collins was originally tapped to serve as writer, showrunner and executive producer of Bel-Air but was replaced by Empire's Diane Houston and executive producer Malcolm Spellman. Writing duo T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson took over the role in August with Spellman remaining as an executive producer.
Bel-Air will premiere Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 13, on Peacock, with the first three episodes launching and new episodes released weekly.
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