Peacock Orders Limited Series ‘The Best Man: Final Chapters’ With Stars From The Original Movies
[Via The Best Man: Final Chapters Press Release]
Peacock has ordered 10 episodes of the limited dramedy series The Best Man: Final Chapters from Universal Television, written and executive produced by Malcolm D. Lee and Dayna Lynne North. The star-studded original cast from the hit films are set to return including Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau.
“We’re excited to reunite this beloved cast for a limited series run of The Best Man for Peacock,” said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “With a powerhouse duo like Malcolm and Dayna at the helm, fans will fall in love with our favorite group of friends all over again.”
Universal Television President Erin Underhill said, “When Malcolm joined the UTV family, our first conversation was about our collective desire to bring his groundbreaking Universal feature franchise to television. Three years and one pandemic later, we’re on the brink of doing just that. I’m thrilled for us all to see this goal come to fruition.”
Based upon the eponymous Universal film franchise written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, the series will catch up with Harper, Robyn, Jordan, Lance, Quentin, Shelby, Candace, and Murch as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance.
“Here we go! The band is back together! I am very excited to bring these iconic characters back to the fans who have supported us through this franchise,” said Malcolm D. Lee. “We are thrilled to deliver everything one would expect from this group of friends in The Best Man universe and take them through their final chapters. We can’t wait! I told you it wouldn’t be 14 more years.”
Lee’s upcoming projects include At That Age, a pilot for NBC (based on an original idea/created by Lee, who is executive producer and director), and Space Jam: A New Legacy (Warner Brothers/HBO Max). Lee’s Blackmaled Productions banner has several projects in development including I Almost Forgot About You (Universal), an adaptation of Terry McMillan’s novel with Viola Davis, The Classic (Universal), Real Talk (Universal), and Rock the Bells (Fox).
“The Best Man films were a cultural touchstone during my college days — and they’ve remained influential pop culture references to this day,” said Dayna Lynn North. “I’ve grown up laughing with these characters, copying their dance moves, and grieving at their losses. I am overjoyed to be partnering with Malcolm D. Lee and this amazing cast to adapt this iconic franchise at Peacock.”
North is a film and television writer, producer, and cultural curator. Currently, she is co-writing and executive producing Young Love,” the anticipated series adaptation of the Academy Award-winning short Hair Love. Most recently, Dayna was a writer/executive producer and showrunner on Insecure, co-created by and starring Issa Rae.
Sean Daniel, of Hivemind, is reteaming with Malcolm D. Lee, having produced The Best Man Holiday at Universal in 2013. Daniel and his company are also executive producers on The Witcher at Netflix and “The Expanse” at Amazon.
The Best Man: Final Chapters is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. The series is written and executive produced by Malcolm D. Lee and Dayna Lynne North of Loud Sis Productions. Sean Daniel, of Hivemind, will also serve as executive producer. Sheila Walcott will oversee for Blackmaled Productions.
