Will Smith last played Deadshot in Warner Bros.’ “Suicide Squad” nearly six years ago. Although he hasn’t returned to DC pictures since, he believes that a director’s cut of David Ayer’s supervillain team-up film should be made available to the public.
“Let me tell you, there’s a whole lot that stayed on the floor for ‘Suicide Squad,” Will Smith told Variety’s Marc Malkin on the red carpet for “Bel-Air.” “I’m into it. I love that world. I love what was created in both versions. I absolutely would love to [see it].”
Following the overwhelmingly poor reviews of “Suicide Squad” from fans and critics, many have speculated about the potential of an alternative version of the film being released. Ayer has been vocal about how his original idea for the film deviated from the final version since 2016.
The HBO Max release of “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” last spring, which incorporated unused sequences and reshot footage to rearrange and expand on 2017’s “Justice League,” fulfilling director Zack Snyder’s original creative vision for the production, sparked hope among some DC fans that a so-called “Ayer cut” of “Suicide Squad” could potentially reach the public.
Although Smith has been a comic book antihero for some time, it has been even longer since his breakthrough role on the ’90s comedy “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The NBC sitcom catapulted Smith to stardom, propelling him to become a box office mainstay and four-time Oscar contender, including two this year for best picture and best actor for “King Richard.”
Smith is now handing over the “Fresh Prince” torch to Jabari Banks for “Bel-Air,” a Peacock series that reboots the ’90s sitcom with a dramatic flair, ditching jokes in favor of a more serious portrayal of a young Black man who relocates from West Philadelphia to the opulent Los Angeles neighborhood. Will, Smith’s lead character in the original series, is played by Banks.
“This pilot, what people are about to see, this thing is so amazing to me,” Smith said on the carpet. “I vowed we would never touch ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air…’ You leave certain things alone. But when [creator Morgan Cooper] came up with the idea of the dramatic version [it created] the opening up of new ideas with meat on the bone that we would be able to address. I got very excited about it.”
The original Fresh Prince first gave his support to the concept of “Bel-Air” in a YouTube video in which Smith watched Cooper’s popular concept film for the series. “The first time I heard something, I was like, ‘Yo, that’s a wonderful idea,'” Smith remarked.
Cooper co-writes and directs “Bel-Air,” and also serves as co-executive producer. Cooper’s co-writers are T.J. Brady and Rasheed Newson, who also serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. Smith’s Westbrook Studios label acts as an executive producer for “Bel-Air.” Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, and original series creators Andy and Susan Borowitz serve as executive producers, as do James Lassiter, Malcolm Spellman, Miguel Melendez, and Terence Carter of Westbrook Studios. The show is produced by Westbrook and Universal Television.
“Bel-Air” will premiere its first three episodes on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service on Sunday, with additional episodes published weekly thereafter.