Will Smith leads a global performance of his famous Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song in a new teaser for Bel-Air, the upcoming dramatic reboot of the hit Nineties sitcom. The new spot is also set to air during the Super Bowl this Sunday, Feb. 13, the same day Bel-Air premieres on Peacock.
The ad, directed by Vicent Peone, opens with Smith delivering the first couple words of the theme — “Now this is a story…” — before a parade of Fresh Prince fans from around the world take over. There are musical contributions from accordions, sitars, flutes, guitars, bucket drummers, and even a full mariachi band, plus plenty of dancing.
Bel-Air came about after cinematographer Morgan Cooper created a fake trailer that reimagined the original Fresh Prince as a drama series. The clip earned praise from Smith and was quickly adapted into a real show, with Cooper tapped to serve as a co-writer and director.
The first three episodes of Bel-Air will premier this Sunday, with new episodes arriving weekly. The show stars Jabari Banks as Will Smith, Adrian Holmes and Cassandra Freeman as Will’s aunt and uncle Phillip and Vivian, Olly Sholotan as Carlton, Coco Jones as Hilary, Akira Akbar as Ashley, and Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey.
Amid supporting the arrival of Bel-Air, Smith picked up an Oscar nomination for his performance in King Richard, the biopic centered around Richard Williams, father and coach of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams (as one of the film’s producers, he also picked up a Best Picture nod). The nominations mark his first since 2007 when he was up for Best Actor for The Pursuit of Happyness.
From Rolling Stone US
