A new fan-made trailer is reimagining The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, with the original Aunt Viv character returning. The twist? It’s a horror story!

Inspired by Jordan Peele’s Us and Get Out, as well as the buzzy Bel-Air viral trailer from Morgan Cooper, Auntie offers a surreal, thriller-tinged look at what happens to these characters/actresses when their roles continue after they’ve been recast. The project is created by Bobby Huntley, who came up with the idea with Colbie Fray after they met at Sundance.

“We left Sundance knowing we wanted to work together on something within the near future. A month or so later, I called her late one night and pitched her this idea and without hesitation, she came on board. I really wanted a Black woman to take on the director hat of this project, telling this story of a strong character played by two amazing actresses on a tv show we all grew up watching,” he said. They fleshed the idea out with Fray’s creative partner Olamma Oparah.

Here’s the plot: After a long, excruciating stint at a mental facility, Vivian Banks is released. Against strict orders from her psychiatrist, she makes her way back to Bel Air. Only to find her home and family has no recollection of her and every evidence of her existence has been erased. She must find out who was behind the hostile takeover before it is too late to reclaim her family and her home.

The project’s stars include Theresa Lang, Letitia Jackson, Nic Starr and Charles Huggins. “We wanted to make sure we touched on as much as possible. We put a lot of hidden gems in the dialogue, clothing, and actions itself to keep the people watching, again and again, to pick up on them,” said Frey.

“Our goal isn’t to pit the two real-life actresses against each,” Huntley said. “They both did an amazing job bringing that character to life in their own unique way. We love every actor and actress affiliated with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It’s just human nature to contrast and compare. For people to still debate over 25 years later is really a testament to their talents and longevity. We are just simply asking the question, ‘What If?'”

In order to address the ways in which other actresses were replaced on other classic television shows, new portrayals of Judy and Harriet Winslow from Family Matters, Becky Conner from Roseanne as well as Claire Kyle from My Wife and Kids also appear in the short.

Most of the production team consisted of Black women, including producers Cassondra “Cassie” Beasley, Kayla Daniels, Rita Lamar and Lailaa Brookings, as well as cinematographer Mya Morton. The project was cast by Kayla Daniels.

As you may recall, Huntley also created the fan-made New Edition trailer in 2015 that went viral, paving the way for the hit 2016 BET biopic miniseries, The New Edition Story. Huntley’s first feature-length film, La Vie Magnifique de Charlie, will be released later this year.

Watch the Auntie teaser below:

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Photo: Bobby Huntley

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