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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Maxine Harrison

Bel-Air start date and how the Fresh Prince reboot will differ from the original

The popular US sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air starring Will Smith as the lead role will be having a reboot, titled Bel-Air.

However the dramatic take on the hit sitcom will be starkly different to the original.

This new series comes 32 years after the original The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air first aired.

Read more: Bel-Air trailer gives first look at Fresh Prince reboot produced by Will Smith

Read on for everything you need to know about the new series.

What is the Bel-Air start date and how to watch it?

UK viewers will be able to stream Bel-Air online from Valentine’s Day on Monday, February 14 on Peacock, exclusively on Sky and NOW.

How will Bel-Air be different from the original Fresh Prince series?

The Bel-Air reboot is set to have much more of a gritty feel to it. The official trailer, on Will Smith’s YouTube channel begins with a fairly dark backdrop from Carlton and Will’s perspective overlooking the hills, with just a glimmer of sunlight. This is vastly different from the brightly coloured Fresh Prince of Bel-Air we are used to in the original series.

This dark and gritty theme carries on throughout the three-minute clip as we see Will in some fighting scenes and under pressure by the police, - along with hints of violence ahead as guns are pulled.

Is Will Smith involved with the Bel-Air series?

Will Smith does have a producer credit on this new Bel-Air reboot. However, thus far there is no indication that he will have any cameo appearances.

Cast members that have been announced for the new series include newcomer Jabari Banks who will play Will, Adrian Holmes (Chained) as Uncle Phil, Cassandra Freeman (Blue Caprice) as Aunt Viv, Nigerian-American actor Olly Sholotan as Carlton and Coco Jones (Let it Shine) as Hilary. Akira Akbar (Captain Marvel) will portray Ashley.

British actor Jimmy Akingbola will also be in the cast. He will play Geoffrey, who if going by the original characters, would have been a family butler. But to reflect the modern area of this reboot, Geoffrey has the new job title of House Manager.

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