Ahead of Bel Air’s February 13th premiere, Peacock announced seven more have been added to the drama reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Duane Martin, Karrueche Tran, April Parker Jones, Joe Holt, SteVonté Hart, Scottie Thompson, and Charlie Hall will all recur on the series.
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Bel-Air is set in modern-day America. It is a serialized one-hour dramatic analog of 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 fun nods to the original show.
They join the previously announced cast that is led by Newcomer Jabari Banks as Will Smith. Adrian Holmes will play patriarch Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman will be the family’s matriarch, Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan stars as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, and Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks. Of course, the Banks family would be hopeless without their faithful butler, Geoffrey, played by Jimmy Akingbola, as well as Jordan L. Jones joining as Will’s best friend, Jazz, and Simone Joy Jones as Lisa.
Tran will play Ivy, a top-tier social media influencer who offers to help Hilary with her influencer business.
Martin will portray Steven Lewis, Philip Banks’ campaign manager on his run for LA District Attorney. Steven is a seasoned political strategist and has operated in Democratic Party politics for his entire career. He believes that he can help Phil win.
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Holt is Fred Wilkes, the Police Chief and Lisa’s father. Wilkes and the Banks’ family have run in the same circles for years.
Parker Jones will play Viola ‘Vy’ Smith, Will’s mother and Aunt Viv’s older sister. Having always put her son first, Vy makes the tough decision to send Will to live with her sister, even though they haven’t spoken in years.
Hart will portray Tray Melbert, Will’s best friend and basketball teammate from West Philly. With Will’s sudden departure to Bel-Air, Tray risks falling victim to the streets of West Philly.
Thompson is Angela, an interior designer, newly married to Police Chief and Lisa’s father, Fred Wilkes. Angela tries to navigate her new role in the family.
Hall will play Tyler Laramy, a member of the Bel-Air Academy basketball team and one of Will’s good friends at school. Tyler is known for being the class-clown and pushing his teachers’ buttons.
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The Peacock series will premiere on Super Bowl Sunday, February 13, with the first three episodes at launch and new episodes released weekly on Peacock.
Bel-Air is based on Morgan Cooper’s viral YouTube trailer. It was a four-minute trailer that reimagined the series as a drama. Cooper a Fresh Prince super-fan, created and directed the 2019 clip that caught Will Smith’s attention.
Cooper co-wrote the Peacock series, directed episodes and is also the co-executive producer.
Will Smith Smith’s Westbrook Studios will co-produce the update along with the series’ original producers Benny Medina and Quincy Jones. The show’s creators Andy & Susan Borowitz, are also set to return as exec producers. Chris Collins will be the showrunner, exec producer and will co-write the script alongside Cooper.
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Bel-Air was picked up by NBC’s streamer Peacock and was given a two-season order in September 2020. T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson, whose credits include The Chi and The 100, serve as executive producers and co-showrunners. Morgan Cooper directs and serves as co-writer and executive producer.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ran for six seasons from 1990-1996 on NBC. The series catapulted Smith to stardom after he spent six seasons starring as the street-smart kid who moved from Philly to the upper-class neighborhood.
Smith starred alongside James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali, Joseph Marcell, and Janet Hubert-Whitten/Daphne Maxwell Reid. Smith has remained close with the cast and recently reunited with everyone for Snapchat.