The show will be an hour-long drama that keeps the basic premise of the original show, but transports it to modern day America and dives deeper into the real conflicts that would come from a kid from West Philadelphia uprooting his life and moving in with his upper-class relatives in California.
That is where Bel-Air will differ, as it is distinctly a drama. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a half-hour sitcom that played on Smith’s big personality, and while it did feature a number of episodes dealing with issues including gun violence, discrimination and absentee fathers, it was first and foremost a comedy. Take a look at Alfonso Ribeiro's photo below showcasing The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast reunion.But basically, the show starred Smith as a kid that went from growing up on the rough and tough streets of Philadelphia to living in the Bel-Air mansion of his aunt and uncle. Will decides to remain in California to finish his schooling in the final episode, as Phillip helps him find an apartment. The final episodes of the show saw the Banks family all moving in separate directions, with Geoffrey moving back to London, Hilary and Ashley both moving to New York, Carlton attending Princeton University, while Phil and Vivian decide to sell their Bel-Air house and move to the East Coast to be closer to their children.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ran for six season between 19, with the series finale airing just weeks before his summer blockbuster Independence Day would make him a bona fide movie star.
Nearly a year later, when doing press for Suicide Squad, Will Smith made it clear that it will never happen, comparing the odds of the reboot happening to the odds of "hell freezing over." It's possible that none of the networks sparked to their pitch, or that they abandoned the project before the pitch phase, but at any rate, don't expect to see a Fresh Prince TV reboot anytime soon. While NBC president Bob Greenblatt revealed during the 2015 TCA summer tour that the network is not involved, he did say that he would be interested in talking to Will Smith about this TV reboot. The initial report about this reboot surfaced in August 2015, revealing that Will Smith and his Overbrook Entertainment partner James Lassiter will produce this new version of the sitcom, with the production company taking their pitch out to different networks.
Given that this Instagram photo has more than 38,000 likes, it's clear there is still an audience who wants to see the Banks family get back together, but it remains unclear if that will happen or not, but Will Smith made it quite clear that a reboot won't be happening. Reunions and revivals have become quite popular these days, with NBC bringing back Will & Grace next season, and Fox finding success with their X-Files limited series, just to name a few. Wishing that James Avery was still with us to make this complete."Īlfonso Ribeiro wouldn't say any more about the reunion, but the fact that the entire cast still gets together from time to time may have fans holding out for a proper small screen reunion. "Always amazing to spend an afternoon with my Fresh Prince family. Here's what Alfonso Ribeiro had to say in a brief statement, paying tribute to the late James Avery, who played Phillip Banks, a.k.a. The photo featured Alfonso Ribeiro alongside Will Smith (Will), Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks), Karyn Parsons (Hilary Banks), Daphne Reid (Vivian Banks) and Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey Butler). On Monday, Alfoson Ribeiro took to Instagram to reveal a new photo with the entire Fresh Prince cast, with the sole exception of the late James Avery, who sadly passed away in 2013 at the age of 68, due to complications from open heart surgery. While a reboot may never happen, there was recently an original cast reunion, and we have the photo to prove it, thanks to Alfonso Ribeiro. There has been talk of a Fresh Prince reboot in the past, but Will Smith revealed that isn't happening, while promoting Suicide Squad last summer. It's been more than 20 years since the hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air went off the air, with the series finale airing in May 1996 after a successful six-season run.