Now, this is a story you might’ve heard before, but believe me, you haven’t seen the Fresh Prince quite like this. Three years ago writer and director Morgan Cooper uploaded a fan film titled Bel-Air to YouTube. It re-imagined Will Smith’s hit 90’s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a dark and dramatic tale.
Fans loved it. TV networks loved it. Even Will Smith loved it.
Three years later Bel-Air is set to hit our screens in a few short weeks. This is what you should know about it.
What’s fresh about Bel-Air?
We’re no stranger to reboots, remakes, sequels and prequels these days, but the Bel-Air TV show is doing things a bit differently.
If you cast your minds back a few years, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was basically a story about Will Smith’s life, where he played a character named Will who was sent away from his rough Philadelphia neighbourhood to live with his rich extended family in Bel-Air.
Cooper’s fan trailer showed us a world where this classic story has come to life with a darker and more realistic edge, aimed at a modern audience.
The good news is that everything fans love about that viral Bel-Air trailer is coming to the series. Here’s what you can expect according to the synopsis:
Set in modern-day America, the brand new one-hour drama series Bel-Air imagines the
beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air through a new, dramatic take on Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. As these two worlds collide, Will reckons with the power of second chances while navigating the conflicts, emotions, and biases of a world far different from the only one he’s ever known.
The series looks a little different to Cooper’s initial fan trailer now that it has Hollywood money behind it. But if the official Bel-Air trailer is anything to go by, everything fans love about that viral video is still in the show.
Who is in the cast?
The Bel-Air TV show has recruited the best of experts with the Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith, on board as an executive producer alongside music industry legend Quincy Jones.
The original mind behind the Bel-Air remake, Morgan Cooper, is also returning as co-writer and director alongside co-showrunners T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson.
As for the cast, we have newcomer Jabari Banks as Will, Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hillary Banks, Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey, Jordan L. Jones as Jazz and Simone Joy as Lisa.
When and where can you watch Bel-Air in Australia?
Now that you’re completely sold on this Fresh Prince reboot, where can you watch it?
Bel-Air will be fast-tracked onto Stan in Australia with three episodes dropping on February 14 and the rest airing weekly.
If you want to catch up on the original series, all six seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are also currently streaming on Stan.
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