Universal’s “The Best Man” movie franchise is headed to small screens.
Peacock has ordered a 10-episode limited dramedy series “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” from the film’s’ writer and director Malcolm D. Lee and former “Insecure” executive producer Dayna Lynne North, according to Deadline.com’s Nellie Andreeva.
The franchise’s core original cast are set to return, including Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau. Andreeva reports that the actors “all recently closed significant seven-figure deals” to reprise their roles in the series, which aims for a September start.
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 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.”
The lone missing original cast member is Monica Calhoun, whose character died in the sequel, 2013’s “The Best Man Holiday.”
The original 1999 romantic comedy-drama, “The Best Man,” saw old college friends reunite for a wedding. It was followed by a Christmas-themed sequel, “The Best Man Holiday,” released in November 2013. Both films, produced by Spike Lee, were box office hits. The original grossed $34 million domestically on a $9 million budget. The 2013 follow-up earned $70 million. A third film in the series, “The Best Man Wedding,” also written and to be directed by Malcolm Lee, was announced by Universal in 2014 with a planned release in 2016, but it was never made, largely due to scheduling issues.
Last year, Diggs said that a third installment of the franchise may be finally happening but as a streaming series.
