Remember that little short film that went viral in 2019, especially among all the lovers of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Well, the reimagining became a reality, and season 2 is already about to hit the masses. It premieres February 23 on Peacock, with new episodes streaming each week. For those not familiar, Bel-Air is set in modern-day America and offers a new, dramatic take on Will's complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. As these two worlds collide, Will reckons with the power of second chances while navigating the conflicts, emotions, and biases of a world far different from the only one he's ever known.
We recently caught up with Jabari Banks, who plays Smith in the reimagining, as well as Morgan Cooper, who created the epic trailer that started it all back in 2019. They both agree that Oscar winner has been a great mentor in real life during this journey thus far, while also teasing what's to come in season 2.
Jabari Banks on Taking the Role
MW: What was it about Bel-Air that first drew you to the project? Was it just the chance to play this character?
Jabari Banks: Yeah, that was it, you know? I grew up loving The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. That's my favorite show. So I was like, "They're remaking it, oh no!" when that first teaser came out. And then I got the call, and I was like, "You know, let's do it." I read the script, and I was like, "Oh, this is gonna be dope!" And so like, I auditioned for it, and I got the amazing opportunity to play Will, and how can I say "no" to that? Like, this is my first job, right? So my life just immediately changed, and I've been on this wild journey ever since.
MW: When you were first getting started on this project, did you have any conversations with the original Will Smith about your character?
Banks: We really didn't speak about the performance of the character, because he knew what I could do. He saw my audition. [Instead] we had talks about life, and then him being a mentor for me. And that was more impactful... He gave us the space to really create these characters of our own, because what they did in the '90s was lightning in a bottle. You can't recreate that, right? So, giving us a space to allow us to spread our wings and make these characters into something vastly different was something that they really want to key in on, and that's what they did. And so I'm forever grateful for that.
MW: Is there anything in season 2 that you're particularly excited for viewers to see?
Banks: Yeah, I mean, I'm excited for them to see the dynamic of this family. It's going to shift, right? So I'm also excited for them to see Tatyana Ali... that's a dope cameo, and she was such a sweetheart. And yeah, they're gonna be excited to see her come back and the way that she mirrors the new Ashley. This season is so dope, so awesome.
Morgan Cooper on Pitching with Will Smith
MW: I was one of the many folks who saw the viral short film you put together back in 2019. What inspired you to create it?
Morgan Cooper: Yeah, it's so interesting, the inspiration really found me, you know? It wasn't something that I was ideating for a long time. I was driving under 71 highway in my hometown, Kansas City. And in a wave, man, in just a matter of five seconds, the entire vision, you know, to reimagine The Fresh Prince as a drama hit me. And I knew it was something that I had to jump on and execute. And thankfully, I was ready to do so in the form of my short film. We released it, and the rest is history.
MW: Once the series was greenlit, what was it like getting season 1 off the ground?
Cooper: Man, it was a frenzy, you know, the bidding war of it all, and all of our pitches. I was able to pitch the show with Will [Smith], and [there was] just so much excitement around the idea. And just seeing all of the excitement surrounding my vision for this, just full of gratitude, I think, is the biggest thing. It was like a cloud, but at the same time, you know, excited to get to work... I couldn't be more proud of the work that we've done, in the work that hopefully, we'll get to continue to do on this show in future seasons.
MW: What was it like pitching with Will Smith?
Cooper: Man, no one holds court like Will. Just the best guy, and since day one, [he] has just been such a tremendous partner throughout this entire process and an incredible mentor... I can't say enough about Will. Big shout out to "big bro."
MW: With season 2, what are you most excited for audiences to see?
Cooper: We really expand on everybody's journey. And the goal of season 2 was, "let's ramp up the stakes." We're so proud of where we ended off and where we landed the plane in season 1. But season 2 is all about elevating every way, shape, or form. And I can say confidently that we've done that... "Will" has a really exciting journey, you know, we play the fallout of what happened at the end of season 1, when he reconnects with his father. And so we play that out at the beginning of the season because Will's no longer a fish out of water necessarily. He's spent time in LA, in Bel-Air. And so now, we get to see him trying to retain his authentic essence of who he was and reconciling it with his future. Will's journey just continues to be incredibly rich and have just incredible subtext that we're really excited to share with fans. Carlton has a roller coaster of a ride. Be expecting fireworks there. But you know, everybody's journey is really exciting.
MW: Besides the original source material, were there any past films or TV shows that influenced how you wanted your show to look or feel?
Cooper: Yeah, for sure. I always tell people that my favorite movie of all time is Juice. Ernest Dickerson directed that, and he's always been a hero of mine. He was the cinematographer on a lot of Spike Lee movies, and Juice was, I believe, his directorial debut. Tupac's Bishop and just that coming-of-age story and that coming-of-age element. That was definitely a reference that I used in the [Bel-Air] pilot. Back in season 1 and Will's coming-of-age story in Philly, we play out that sequence. I was watching Juice and just, you know, feeling the essence and the texture and the authenticity of just a very simple story of a young Black man in his community. And I feel like guys like Ernest Dickerson, Spike Lee really laid that groundwork for us to be able to tell these stories and do them unapologetically. And in terms of the look, I come from a camera background. I was a cinematographer for years, and so I'm really big on paintings and thinking about some of the great masters; Jacob Lawrence, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Vermeer. In terms of the quality of light in which they painted is how I've always tried to model talent on-screen, particularly with Black skin and making sure that the subject's humanity is fully recognized in the tools that we're using to capture their life.
Bel-Air comes to us from Peacock.