''Bel-Air'' is a 2019 short

fan film A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been amateurs, but some of the mo ...

written and directed by Morgan Cooper, based on the 1990s

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...

''. The film serves as a mock trailer for a darker, more dramatic re-imagining of the sitcom. It was uploaded on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on March 10, 2019. In August 2020, it was announced that it was being developed into a full television show, with Cooper and original series star

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

as executive producers. The series had reportedly been in the works for over a year since Cooper posted his ''Bel-Air'' trailer on YouTube, with

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

, NBC's

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

, and

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

all bidding for the series. On September 8, 2020, it was picked up by Peacock, which gave '' Bel-Air'' a two-season order.

Plot

After being involved in a gang fight during a

street basketball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...

game,

is sent by his mother out of the rough streets of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

to live with his uncle and aunt in the affluent neighborhood of

Bel Air, Los Angeles Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Founded in 1923, it is the home of the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden and the American Jewish Univers ...

, in the hopes of straightening out his life. The film is supposed to take place in 2019. The trailer is heavily influenced by modern-day

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

, according to Cooper in an interview.

Cast

* Jerry Madison as

(originally played by

) * Sherri Roulette-Mosley as Vy Smith (originally played by

Vernee Watson Vernee Christell Watson-Johnson (née Watson; born September 28, 1949) is an American actress, author, and acting coach. Watson-Johnson is best known for her recurring roles as Vernajean Williams on ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and as ...

) * Granvile O'Neal as Uncle Phil Banks (originally played by

James Avery James La Rue Avery (November 27, 1945 – December 31, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Philip Banks in ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Shredder in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', Judge Michael Conover on '' L ...

) * Kira Ashby as Aunt Viv Banks (originally played by

Janet Hubert-Whitten Janet Louise Hubert (born January 13, 1956) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for playing the role of the original Vivian Banks on the sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from its first season in 1990 until the e ...

and

Daphne Maxwell Reid Daphne Etta Maxwell Reid (née Maxwell; July 13, 1948) is an American actress, comedian, designer and former model. She is best known for her role as the second Vivian Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from 1993 to 1996. ...

) * Jelani Talib as

Carlton Banks Carlton Banks is a fictional character portrayed by Alfonso Ribeiro on the NBC television sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from September 1990 to May 1996, the preppy and politically conservative cousin, main foil, and eventual close fri ...

(originally played by

Alfonso Ribeiro Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, comedian and television host. He is best known for his roles as Alfonso Spears on the sitcom ''Silver Spoons'', Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ...

) * Rufus Burns as

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

(originally played by Jeffrey Townes) * Sada K. as Hilary Banks (originally played by

Karyn Parsons Karyn Parsons Rockwell (born October 8, 1966) is an American actress, author and comedian. She is best known for her role as Hilary Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from 1990 to 1996. Parsons also starred in the 1995 film ' ...

) * Khrystal Coppage as Ashley Banks (originally played by Tatyana M. Ali) * Jada Paige as Lisa Fuller (based on the character Lisa Wilkes, originally played by

Nia Long Nia Talita Long (born October 30, 1970) is an American actress. Best known for her work in Black cinema, Long rose to prominence after starring in the film ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), and for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the NBC sit ...

) NOTE: The characters Geoffrey Butler and Nicky Banks (portrayed by

Joseph Marcell Joseph Marcell (born 18 August 1948) is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Geoffrey Butler, the butler on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from September 1990 until the show ended in May 1996. Born in S ...

and

Ross Bagley Ross Bagley is an American former actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Nicky Banks in ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' as well as Dylan Dubrow in ''Independence Day''. He also played Buckwheat in ''The Little Rascals''. Career ...

in the original series) do not appear in the film.

Production

Morgan Cooper shot the Philadelphia sequences of ''Bel-Air'' in his hometown of

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, in a span of six months.

Reception and expansion

, who played the main character of the original sitcom, heavily praised the fan film, commenting that "Morgan did a ridiculous trailer for ''Bel-Air''. Brilliant idea, the dramatic version of The Fresh Prince for the next generation." He also hinted at options of expanding the idea beyond the short film. On August 11, 2020, the series Bel-Air was officially announced after being in the works for over a year. At the time,

, and

were bidding for the rights to the show. On September 8, 2020, Peacock gave the series a two-season order under the title ''Bel-Air'', with Westbrook Inc. and

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a prede ...

producing. Smith and Cooper executive-produce, alongside Terence Carter,

James Lassiter James Lassiter is an American film producer, known for being co-founder of Overbrook Entertainment and longtime business partner of actor and rapper Will Smith. Career Lassiter attended University of Miami and Temple University and befriended Jef ...

, Miguel Melendez,

Malcolm Spellman Malcolm Spellman is an American screenwriter and producer best known for his work on ''Empire'' (2015) and ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' (2021). Career In March 2010, Spellman started his career by writing the screenplay for the film ' ...

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

Benny Medina Benny Medina (born January 24, 1958) is an American record executive, talent manager, and television producer. Early life and education Medina was born in East Los Angeles, California, of Dominican parents into a poor family. The death of hi ...

, Andy Borowitz, and Susan Borowitz. An online premiere for the series was held on February 9, 2022, by Crown & Conquer. The series premiered on Peacock on February 13, 2022.

References

External links

* * {{The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 2019 films 2019 short films 2019 independent films Fan films Films set in Philadelphia Films set in Los Angeles Hood films Films shot in Missouri The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 2010s English-language films Films released on YouTube