PEACOCK ANNOUNCES RECURRING CAST FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DRAMA SERIES BEL-AIR

Karrueche Tran, Duane Martin, April Parker Jones, SteVonté Hart, Joe Holt, Scottie Thompson, Jon Beavers, Tyler Barnhardt and Charlie Hall Join as Recurring Cast

www.PeacockTV.com

· Peacock's highly anticipated drama series Bel-Air has cast Karrueche Tran, Duane Martin, April Parker Jones, SteVonté Hart, Joe Holt, Scottie Thompson, Jon Beavers, Tyler Barnhardt and Charlie Hall as recurring guest stars.  

· Bel-Air will premiere on Peacock on Super Bowl Sunday (February 13, 2022) with three episodes at launch and new episodes released every Thursday.

NEW CAST AND CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:

Karrueche Tran (Claws, The Bay) will play Ivy, a top-tier social media influencer who offers to help Hilary with her influencer business.

Duane Martin (All of Us, Real Husbands of Hollywood) will play Steven Lewis, Philip Banks' campaign manager on his run for LA District Attorney. Steven is a seasoned political strategist and has operated in Democratic Party politics for his entire career. He believes that he can help Phil win.

April Parker Jones (If Loving You is Wrong, Supergirl) will play Viola 'Vy' Smith, Will's mother and Aunt Viv's older sister. Having always put her son first, Vy makes the tough decision to send Will to live with her sister, even though they haven't spoken in years.

SteVonté Hart (Little Fires Everywhere, Queen Sugar) will play Tray Melbert, Will's best friend and basketball teammate from West Philly. With Will's sudden departure to Bel-Air, Tray risks falling victim to the streets of West Philly.

Joe Holt (The Walking Dead: World Beyond, The Punisher) will play Fred Wilkes, the Police Chief and Lisa's father. Wilkes and the Banks' family have run in the same circles for years.

Scottie Thompson (NCIS, Macguyver, 12 Monkeys) will play Angela, an interior designer, newly married to Police Chief and Lisa's father, Fred Wilkes. Angela tries to navigate her new role in the family.

Jon Beavers (Licorice Pizza, Animal Kingdom) will play Kylo, a social media influencer. He provides Hilary Banks with an interview opportunity to join his influencer house.

Tyler Barnhardt (13 Reasons Why, Tales From The Loop) will play Connor Satterfield, Carlton's best friend, lacrosse teammate and the most popular kid in school, second to Carlton. Connor crosses boundaries that cause tension between him and Will.

Charlie Hall (Single Drunk Female, Moxie) will play Tyler Laramy, a member of the Bel-Air Academy basketball team and one of Will's good friends at school. Tyler is known for being the class-clown and pushing his teachers' buttons.

SERIES DESCRIPTION: 

Set in modern-day America, Peacock's new one-hour drama series Bel-Air imagines the beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air through a new, dramatic take on Will's complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. As these two worlds collide, Will reckons with the power of second chances while navigating the conflicts, emotions, and biases of a world far different from the only one he's ever known.

Executive produced by Will Smith, and inspired by Morgan Cooper's viral trailer that reimagined the iconic, culture-defining '90s sitcom, Bel-Air takes a fresh and raw approach to this world of swagger, style, and aspiration, while exploring Will's complex journey through a current lens. The new series features an ensemble cast that introduces Jabari Banks as Will and a creative team that includes Cooper, who serves as director, co-writer, and executive producer, and co-showrunners and executive producers T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson.

ABOUT THE SERIES: 

· Co-Showrunners / Executive Producers: T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson 

· Director / Co-Writer / Executive Producer: Morgan Cooper 

· Executive Producers: Will Smith, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Malcolm Spellman, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and Andy & Susan Borowitz 

· Produced By: Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Westbrook Studios, a division of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith's media company Westbrook Inc. 

· Format: Drama series, 10 episodes x 60 minutes

· Filming Location: Los Angeles, CA and Philadelphia, PA 

PREVIOUS SERIES REGULARS ANNOUNCED:

· Newcomer Jabari Banks as "Will"  

· Adrian Holmes as "Phillip Banks" (At That Age, V Wars) 

· Cassandra Freeman as "Vivian Banks" (The Enemy Within, Atlanta) 

· Olly Sholotan as "Carlton Banks" (Run Hide Fight, Evolution of Nate Gibson) 

· Coco Jones as "Hilary Banks" (Let it Shine, Vampires vs. The Bronx) 

· Akira Akbar as "Ashley Banks" (We Can Be Heroes, Captain Marvel) 

· Jimmy Akingbola as "Geoffrey" (Most Dangerous Game, In The Long Run) 

· Jordan L. Jones as "Jazz" (Rel, Snowfall) 

· Simone Joy Jones as "Lisa" (The Chair, What If) 

ADDITIONAL INFO:

· Peacock previously ordered two seasons of the series adaptation of Morgan Cooper's viral fan film Bel-Air. See Will Smith's original announcement HERE.

· Will Smith previously surprised newcomer and West Philly local Jabari Banks with the iconic, leading role of "Will," originated by Smith, HERE.

· Cooper wrote and directed the four-minute spec trailer, debuting the video on social media in March 2019. The trailer, which currently has nearly 7 million views on YouTube, caught the attention of Smith, and in a reaction video Smith called the film and idea brilliant.  Link to the original trailer HERE.