The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reboot Finds Lead in Jabari Banks

Peacock's Bel-Air has found its lead.

Actor Jabari Banks is set to lead the cast of the reboot of the beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Peacock dropped the announcement alongside a video of Will Smith telling the actor his life was about to change.

“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,” reads the show’s official logline.

“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.”

Jabari Banks lives in West Philly. He graduated from the University of the Arts in Philly in 2020. In addition to acting, Jabari is an accomplished songwriter, singer, rapper, and basketball player.

“We have just officially closed the deal with Peacock with an unprecedented two-season-order from a pitch,” Smith shared in a video last year, confirming the pickup.

“I’ve been in this business for 30 years, and that does not happen. They ordered two full seasons of Bel-Air based on the quality of the pitch and the work that you guys have done. So I want to say congratulations. I am hyped.”

Chris Collins will serve as showrunner and executive producer and is co-writing the show with Morgan Cooper.

Cooper wrote and directed the four-minute spec trailer, debuting the video on social media in March 2019.

The trailer, which currently has nearly 7 million views on YouTube, caught the attention of Smith, and in a reaction video, Smith called the film and idea brilliant. 

Bel-Air is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group and Westbrook Studios, a division of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s media company Westbrook Inc.

Now that the show has found its lead, there's a good chance more casting announcements will be imminent, and production should be getting underway very soon.