Old school met new school at the red carpet premiere held for the re-telling of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. While talking to reporters, Will Smith admitted that he never thought he’d ever be involved with a reboot of the iconic hit show.
“For me, I vowed we would never touch ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’” he admitted to Variety before stating that after being approached by Morgan Cooper about the idea of a reboot with a twist, he was persuaded to give it some consideration.
“You leave certain things alone,” the veteran actor added, “But when Morgan came up with the idea of the dramatic version … that opening up of new ideas with meat on the bone that we would be able to address, then I got very excited about it.”
Elsewhere, members of the original cast, including Smith, Tatyana Ali, and Joseph Marcell, were spotted taking photos with the stars from “Bel-Air,” including its leading actor Jabari Banks and creator Cooper.
Reactions to news of a “Fresh Prince” reboot initially drew mixed responses from beloved fans of the iconic series. However, after a full-length trailer dropped last month, fans appeared to be more open-minded to the project than previously expressed.
The real and more dangerous reason behind Will’s extended trip to the fancy neighborhood of Bel-Air, and his well-off relatives is still due to a basketball court fight, like the original. Still, the stakes are much higher, as explained by Geoffrey, played by actor Jimmy Akingbola: “A scrap on the ball court got nasty, and now some bad man from Philly, he want to deal with you.”
Eager viewers got to see flashes of Will’s troubled Philadelphia past, along with scenes of him attempting to adjust to his new life in the lap of luxury. It’s soon clear that the road to assimilating to his new surroundings will be difficult, but the series intends to take audience members down a detailed journey of how Will became the prince of a town called Bel-Air.
“Bel-Air” will stream exclusively on Peacock. The first three episodes will be available on Feb. 13, 2022, with subsequent new episodes airing weekly.
More Stories from Our Partners:
