Will Smith Shares Trailer, Premiere Date For ‘Fresh Prince Reunion Special’
In an exclusive announcement on his social handles on Friday, November 13, Will Smith released the trailer for “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion” from Westbrook Media and revealed that the special will debut on HBO Max on Thursday, November 19. In the unscripted special, Smith is joined by series regulars Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, and Alfonso Ribeiro as well as recurring co-star DJ Jazzy Jeff for a family reunion on-set in the Banks’ home for a look back at the groundbreaking show. Taped on the 30th anniversary of the original series premiere date, Smith also sat down with Janet Hubert, who originated the role of Aunt Viv, for the first time in 27 years for an emotional reunion and a candid conversation.
As previously announced, the special will be a funny and heartfelt night full of music, dancing, and a look at the cultural impact the series has had since its debut 30 years ago. Produced by Westbrook Media, the reunion will launch exclusively on HBO Max on November 19. HBO Max is the exclusive SVOD home of the full original series library in the US, debuting on the platform when it launched in May.
Marcus Raboy (“Laugh Aid”, “Whitney Cummings: Can I Touch It?”) directs the special, which is executive produced by Rikki Hughes, who also serves as showrunner, as well as Miguel Melendez, Lukas Kaiser, James Lassiter, and Brad Haugen for Westbrook Media. Raphael Saadiq serves as the executive music producer.
NBC Peacock has landed Bel-Air, an hourlong series that reenvisions the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, as a drama. From Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal Television, the series is based on Morgan Cooper’s popular fan film. The original sitcom was a signature series for NBC.
Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air is a serialized one-hour dramatic analog leans into the original premise: Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions, and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show. Each character, from Will to Carlton and Uncle Phil, has been reimagined for 2020.