Twitter Reacts To Peacock's 'Fresh Prince' Reboot 'Bel-Air' Casting News

Source: NBC / Getty

Peacock’s Fresh Prince reboot Bel-Air is chugging along, and now the most important role has been filled. Deadline reports that Bel-Air, the drama reboot of 1990s classic hit NBC comedy sitcom that helped catapult Philly rapper Will Smith to Hollywood stardom, has found the heir apparent to wear the Fresh Prince’s crown. The person walking in his shoes in the reboot is Jabari Banks, who, like Smith, is a West Philadelphia native. Banks learned he landed in the most Will Smith way ever via a surprise video call that Peacock shared on its YouTube page on Wednesday (Sep.1).

As mentioned above, the show will differ from the original. It will be an hour-long drama based on Morgan Cooper’s fan-made trailer that caught fire on social media, eventually capturing the king of Instagram, Will Smith’s attention. Now, it’s a full-blown show that has already been picked up by Peacock for two seasons and will be developed by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal Productions. Per Deadline:

Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air is a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90’s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that leans into the original premise: Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. 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.

T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson will serve as executive producers and co-showrunners while Cooper directs and serves as co-writer and executive producer. While this is a big deal for Banks and will be his first major television role, Twitter is too thrilled with the news of their favorite comedy sitcom being rebooted, even though many loved Cooper’s vision when it first hit the internet.

We’re gonna reserve judgment and give Banks a chance to prove himself. You can peep more reactions to the news in the gallery below. — Photo: NBC / Getty