The original series ran for six seasons and aired 148 episodes between 1990 and 1996, propelling Smith to international fame. Now 23 years since the final season wrapped, the publication reports that Smith is in the middle of expanding his global brand and this includes aFresh Prince of Bel-Airspin-off.
Mega fans of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, aka the 90s TV sitcom starring Will Smith, might actually be coming back.
We kid you not, the comedy, where Smith played a fictional version of himself as a teen who is sent to move in with his wealthy aunt and uncle in their Bel Air mansion after getting in trouble at home, is set to be having a reboot, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Details are under wraps for now but the project is apparently being headed up by Westbrook, the holding company for Smith and his wife Jada’s businesses which they launched earlier this year.
This isn’t the first time there’s been rumours circulating about a new series, fans have been speculating about it since FOREVER. In the past there were reports that Fresh Prince was coming back as a female-led sitcom (now that would be good), as well as others claiming it would be an animated series after Smith shared an illustration of a cartoon version. Now, it seems like we have finally got the most official confirmation yet.
Back in 2017, Smith actually joked that if there was a reboot he’d have to play the role of Uncle Phil since he’s now in his 50s. For true fans though, he’ll always be the slightly goofy, gangly West Philadelphia kid.
Last year Alfonso Ribeiro who played Carlton Banks, Smith’s cousin in the show, said that a revival would be impossible after the death of James Avery in 2014, the actor who played Uncle Phil.
Ribeiro said, “Do we really want to see Will and Carlton in their, you know, 40s and 50s? James Avery, right, he’s actually the most important character on the show… Without him, everything that Will and Carlton did would mean nothing. ”
We’re hoping Ribeiro is proved wrong because if anyone can successfully revive our fave 90s comedies for a new audience, we reckon it’s Will Smith.