Newcomer Jabari Banks To Star As Will In Peacock’s ‘Bel-Air’ Drama Reboot
Christian Hubbard
Posted On August 31, 2021
Will Smith is one of the most recognizable names in the world. His success with films like Men In Black, Bad Boys, & Suicide Squad has made him one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities. However, that success started as a history-making rap career. Smith would transition into acting with the ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. It 2019, it was reported that Peacock had ordered a reboot of the series, with a more dramatic twist. Now, as first revealed via Will Smith himself, newcomer Jabari Banks will step into the role of Will in the upcoming Fresh Prince reboot.
The upcoming reboot, titled Bel-Air, is based on an extremely popular fan film by Morgan Cooper, which takes the comedy series in a far more serious direction. Now, Cooper is on board to direct the upcoming Peacock series as well as serving as a co-writer and executive producer. Moreover, Will Smith will executive produce alongside Jada Pinkett Smith via their Westbrook Studios banner. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier creator Malcolm Spellman and music legend Quincy Jones are producing as well.
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The series received a two-season order last year. Additionally, T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson (The 100) have recently boarded the series as showrunners. Following the lifestyle change of Smith’s character (also named Will Smith), The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air told the story of a high school kid moving from the hard-knock life of West Philadelphia to a wealthy, upper-class neighborhood in California. However, with the reboot shifting to a drama and running hour-long episodes, Bel-Air will reportedly dive deeper into the emotions, biases, and conflicts that accompany such a change in lifestyles.
Jabari Banks is a 2020 graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. With that in mind, Bel-Air will serve as the newcomer’s first major role on television. However, Banks is a multi-talented performer with music streaming now on Spotify.
What do you think? Will you watch the Fresh Prince reboot on Peacock? Sound off in the comments below!
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