Will Smith confirms Fresh Prince special as he reunites with original cast in new selfie
Including the original Aunt Viv!
Last updated 11th Sep 2020
"Now, this is the story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down, and I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air"... You all know how it goes, and now Will Smith has just sent Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans into MELTDOWN with his latest post!
As rumours heated up about a special episode to mark the show's upcoming 30th anniversary, Will took to his Instagram page to share a selfie alongside his former co-stars Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
As if the picture didn't excite fans enough, the 51-year-old then confirmed something special would be taking place, a 'real Banks Family Reunion'.
He wrote, '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! RIP James. #FreshPrince30th'. (sic)
Fans were quick to comment on the snap, one wrote, 'This is epic! 30 years? That’s incredible. This will be special 🙌🙏', with another adding, '🤯😍I grew up watching this whole fam!'. (sic)
A third then wrote, 'Cant wait😍😍😍😍👍🏻👍🏻'.
Another added, 'this show was like another life if you had a bad day turn it on and now you have a whole different life in bel air with will 💙💙😭😭 R.I.P james avery'. (sic)
Will also paid tribute to the late James Avery in his post, who played the infamous role of Uncle Jeff on the hit show, adding #RIPJames to his comment, following his sad passing back in 2013.
Of course, if you are a fan of the hit series, you'll be aware that actress Janet Hubert and Will Smith have had a long-running feud for over two decades, with the original Aunt Viv actress leaving the show after just three series.
However, it looks like the pair have put the past behind them, with both Will and Janet sitting down together for the special anniversary show.
Although no official date for The Fresh Prince reunion has been announced, reports are suggesting it will air on HBO Max in the coming months.
Check out all of the TV shows we wish would make a comeback:
Footballers' Wives
Broadcasting between 2002-2006, Footballers' Wives followed fictional Premier League football club Earls Park, as well as all of the drama from both the players and their fiery wives!
Bad Girls
Set inside a fictional women's prison, Bad Girls aired on ITV between 1996-2006 and featured some very famous faces, including Claire King and Debra Stephenson.
The Bill
First broadcast in 1983, police drama The Bill certainly proved popular, airing until 2010. The show focused on the lives and work of police officers and starred well-known actors such as Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole and Mark Wingett.
Outnumbered
Although all of the kids from BBC sitcom Outnumbered are now grown up (Tyger Drew-Honey is now 26), we'd love to see a remake of the hilarious programme, which followed the lives of a mother and father who were outnumbered by their three children.
Of course, the mum and dad are now officially a couple in real life!
Don't Try This At Home
Who remembers sitting down in front of the TV on a Saturday night, watching on as Davina McCall helped members of the public take on tough and fearful challenges?
This needs to come back!
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
She was confident, funny, magical AND she had a talking cat. Sabrina made us all want to be a witch!
The show was also rebooted between 2018 and 2020 as a Netflix series called Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Ugly Betty
Believe it or not, it's been a massive 16 years since Ugly Betty last aired on our screens! The show, which featured actress America Ferrera, followed a character called Betty Suarez, who despite her lack of 'style', landed a job at a very prestigious fashion magazine.
Where The Heart Is
The British drama, which was filmed in the Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite, proved very popular with viewers between 1997-2006, showcasing the lives of a group of district nurses and their families.
It's a Knockout
It was stupid, it was crazy, but it was certainly fun! It's a Knockout started way back in 1966, but the show made a number of returns on BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5!
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
We'd love to see Will Smith get back into his character alongside Carlton Banks, however we got the next best thing earlier this year, with the Fresh Prince reboot called Bel Air, which was released earlier this year where Jabari Banks played Will Smith.
Stars In Their Eyes
A true classic! Stars In Their Eyes, originally hosted by Leslie Crowther, first aired in 1990 with Matthew Kelly taking over in 1993. The show did make a return with Harry Hill in 2015, but it didn't quite take off!
The Queen's Nose
Who would have thought that rubbing a 50p coin would be so interesting? We used to love watching the adventures of Harmony as she used up her magic wishes.
Gossip Girl
Although the show was given a reboot in 2021 with a brand new cast, it didn't live up to expectations of the original series, which aired between 2007-2012.
Fun House
We used to love watching two schools battle each other in three rounds of madness. Bring back the gunge and Pat Sharp's crazy hairstyles!
Grange Hill
Despite being at school all day, we loved to come home and watch other people be at school. Strange. But gripping story lines and relatable characters had us glued to our screens.
London's Burning
Airing between 1988 and 2002, London's Burning documented the lives of a fictional London Fire Brigade Blue Watch at the fictional Blackwall fire station.
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory was on TV from 2007 until 2019. The show centred around two physicists who shared an apartment, Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter and Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, and their friendship with Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco, who lived opposite.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones lasted for eight seasons between 2011 – 2019. The show starred Sean Bean as Eddard 'Ned' Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow.
House of Dragons is the new prequel but we really wish we'd have gotten more (or another ending) to the original Game of Thrones TV show. Who knows, maybe when the last book is out they might make some more episodes…
Meanwhile, in other Fresh Prince news, it's understood the popular show will be getting a dramatic reboot as a hard-hitting drama.
The series will be based on a YouTube trailer that was released in March 2019, re-imagining the show as a tense drama called Bel-Air.
Watch Morgan Cooper's viral trailer for Bel-Air below:
Reports are suggesting Bel Air has now been picked up for two seasons, so watch this space!