Jabari Banks has been cast as lead character, Will, in the upcoming Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot. Will Smith personally surprised Banks with the news that the West
Philadelphia native is stepping into the shoes of one of the most iconic characters of the ’90s.
Banks’ Will character is basically the same as the one Will Smith played between 1990 and 1996, but this revival will be a “contemporary reinvention” of the original.
“It’s great to meet you, to be with you [deze video call] and from the bottom of my heart I want to congratulate you,” Smith told Jabari, a newcomer to the acting
business, in a special surprise video. “You got the part of Will in Bel-Air.”
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Banks auditioned for the part after his father pointed him to an article about the Bel-Air reboot. “This is a dream come true,” Banks told Smith. “The way the show
impacted me and my life, it’s incredible to hear you say this.”
The news of Banks’ casting comes weeks after it was revealed that the Bel-Air reboot will have a new showrunner and that the show is heading in a different creative
direction.
Peacock says the reboot takes place in modern America and “delves deeper into associated conflicts, emotions and prejudices that were impossible to fully explore in a
30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering the swagger and containing a nod to the original.”
