Will Smith shares Fresh Prince of Bel-Air pic and reunites with original Aunt Viv
Smith also confirmed that a reunion special is coming to HBO Max
It's been 30 years since the first series of hugely popular sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air first appeared on our screens - and star Will Smith has reunited with his cast members to celebrate.
The star shared a photo of himself alongside Tatyana Ali (Ashley), Karyn Parsons (Hilary), Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey), Daphne Maxwell Reid (the second Ant Viv) Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton) and DJ Jazzy Jeff reunited in the Banks mansion.
And Smith added that the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion would be coming to US streaming service HBO Max in the near future.
He captioned his photo, "Today is exactly 30 YEARS since The @FreshPrince of Bel-Air debuted! So we’re doin’ something for y’all… a for real Banks Family Reunion is comin’ soon to @HBOmax!"
He also added, "RIP James" referring to Uncle Phil actor James Avery, who sadly passed away in 2013 aged 68.
Meanwhile, Smith also shared another photo showing he had made amends with Janet Hubert, who was the original Aunt Viv actress before she departed the show at the end of its third season in 1993.
Hubert had left due to an ongoing feud with Smith, and she later went into further detail about the rift in her 2009 book Perfection Is Not a Sitcom Mom - but it seems the two are back on better terms again now.
A date for the televised reunion has not yet been provided, but reports suggest that it will be around Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on 26th November.
The reunion isn't the only new Fresh Prince material fans have to look forwards to either, with Bel-Air, a new series which reimagines the show as a drama rather than a sitcom, having recently been picked up for two seasons by US streaming service Peacock.
Smith will act as an executive producer on the series and recently wrote on Instagram, explaining how the project had come into being: "8 months ago, a young filmmaker from Kansas City @cooperfilms uploaded a video on YouTube reimagining The @freshprince of Bel-Air for present day as a DRAMA!
"Everybody sent it to me. It was outstanding. I had NEVER envisioned revisiting the Banks family in this way. We knew this was special, so we called @ryokanproductions and asked him to lead the team (he wrote on The Wire) and he said YES!
"Months of writing, developing and pitching… and now it’s happening. “Bel-Air” got a TWO SEASON order, debuting in 2021 on @nbc’s streaming service @peacocktv. Morgan Cooper and Chris Collins, you are THE TRUTH!! ????"
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
