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The trailer for the new ‘Fresh Prince’ series dropped and it’s way too dramatic

A trailer for the reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air dropped and it's entirely too dramatic.

Will Smith surprises Jabari Banks with the news that he's been cast as Will in the dramatic reboot of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Will Smith surprises Jabari Banks with the news that he's been cast as Will in the dramatic reboot of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."Read moreCourtesy of Peacock

Now this is a story all about how...a trailer for the new Fresh Prince series is entirely too dramatic.

On Tuesday, Peacock dropped a trailer for Bel-Air, a dramatic reimagining of the original The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sitcom that originally starred Philadelphia’s own Will Smith. The one-hour series, set to premiere on streaming service Peacock in 2022, will take a less funny and goofy look at the trials and tribulations of Will, a West Philadelphia native who got in one little fight, and the struggles in getting used to living in posh Bel-Air.

In the trailer description’s own words:

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.

The one-minute trailer features West Philadelphia actor Jabari Banks, who will play Will, splashing into a crystal clear ocean in slow motion, with Smith narrating the first few lyrics to the original show’s iconic theme song, albeit very slowly and dramatically. There, in the watery expanse, Banks -- clad in Will’s trademark hat, vest and high-top Jordans -- swims through as basketballs, a trophy, ATVs and fuzzy dice float around him.

» READ MORE: West Philadelphian Jabari Banks cast as Will in a dramatic reboot of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’

As Banks reaches for a crown, he sees a throne, where he sits down and looks straight at the camera as Smith proclaims: “I looked at my kingdom. I was finally there. To sit on my throne.”

The trailer appears to be yet another one of the “gritty” and “dark” reboots that have dominated film and television in recent years. It comes weeks after Smith’s multi-city book tour for his memoir Will and in the midst of what looks to be a renaissance for the movie star.

» READ MORE: Will Smith’s book tour kicks off with Queen Latifah and DJ Jazzy Jeff in Philadelphia

Much like the new series promises to take a serious look at the origins of the Will character, Smith’s conversations about his memoir and the life and career it recounts have been much less focused on the salacious and more on the difficulties of growing up in Philadelphia and his climb to Hollywood stardom.

Smith, 53, kicked off his book tour at The Met earlier this month, where he explained his journey from the streets of Philadelphia to being one of the most bankable movie stars ever.

» READ MORE: Will Smith enters new phase of life. And he’s doing it big Philly style.

“It’s really critical to suffer and overcome adversity,” Smith said at the Met. “The overcoming of adversity is how we gain wisdom. It’s how we gain understanding and sometimes we don’t want it. We don’t want to hurt like that. For some reason, that’s how God designed it, you know. The hurt is the road to heaven.”

Smith is also starring in King Richard as Richard Williams, tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams’ father. The performance as the hard-nosed, ambitious father of the tennis greats is already garnering Oscar buzz. The movie premiered in theaters and started streaming on HBO Max on Nov. 19.