Cousins! We are literally only one day away from diving deep into the highly anticipated limited series of ‘The Best Man: The Final Chapters’ !
Originally taking the box office by storm in the late 90s, the newly scheduled series serves as a full circle moment for fans as well as the entire Best Man franchise. Within an exclusive premiere for New York City attendees at this year’s Urban World Festival, folks were able to view a teaser at the very place the film originally debuted over twenty years ago.
Within a Q&A pannel amongst leading actors Morris Chestnut and Melissa De Sousa alongside The Best Man writer and director Malcolm D. Lee, together they reflected on their endless gratitude of being able to captivate the stories behind the characters we’ve all known and loved over the last two decades.
While speaking on his character’s growth throughout the years and obstacles he’s overcome within his storyline of Lance, actor Morris Chestnut revealed that he almost did not make the cut for the original Best Man film. “Malcolm wasn’t sure because he wanted Lance to be intimidating.”
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He continued, “And luckily he was married to Camille and I got the role.”
Malcolm explained that though he appreciated Morris as an actor and what he brought to the craft throughout his career he didn’t initially see him as a fit for the role of Lance. However his wife Camille did and made sure that she advised him to select Morris for the role. “She said you better cast him.”
Malcolm agreed that his wife saw the vision before he did as fans burst out into applauds.
Prior to the premiered teaser, fans were able to view the limited series official trailer on both Peacock and social media. Starring original leading actors Taye Diggs, Terrance Howard, Regina Hall, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau, Morris and Melissa; we enter a new phase for the entire crew collectively and individually.
As their continued friendships and relationships evolve within advancement, each beloved character is entering a stage of healing from either past ordeals of trauma or navigating through current midlife crises all within the unpredictability of everyday life.
Viewers will be taken on the deep end as Harper ( Diggs ) reveals to his group of friends Robyn (Lathan), Jordan (Long), Lance (Chestnut), Quentin (Howard), Shelby (De Sousa), Candace (Hall) and Murch (Perrineau) that his controversial novel ‘Unfinished Business’ has been granted the opportunity to be turned into a film. However Harper is in need of his friends blessings in order to release the project. With a mixture of unshelled feelings he may have bitten off more than he can chew; once again.
“When I wrote The Best Man, it was out of a desire to see myself on screen. Growing up I rarely saw Black people — Black men in particular – the way my friends and I saw ourselves: educated, upwardly mobile African-Americans who were just “normal” said Malcolm in a forwarded statement.
“Fans of the franchise have consistently asked me (and the stellar cast) when are we going to tell them what’s happened with this group of friends? And what better way to do that than to give them what they want (and more) in a limited series,” he continued.
“Given the moment that we are in, this is the perfect time to revisit Harper, Lance, Murch, Quentin, Jordan, Robyn, Candace and Shelby and go on the wild, emotional, hilarious ride with them, as they deal with their own journeys through parenting, activism, old love, new love and the complexities of being Black in 21st Century America.”
Malcolm concluded, “It is now more than ever that the world is craving to see what I’ve worked my entire career to show: relatable, universal stories about black people and their humanity. It has always been my mission to make African-American stories mainstream. It is my life’s work to tell stories that include and elevate us. And I HOPE my legacy will be that I represented for us.”
Cousins, be sure to tap into “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” debuting only on Peacock December 22nd.