When The Best Man first came to the big screen in 1999, no one knew the ever-lasting effect it would have on pop culture. The film was able to portray Black friendship in a way that wasn’t yet done before.
“As an actor, you’re glad to just get a job. You want to work. You want to get a job that pays,” Morris Chestnut said about his role. In an interview, Chestnut discussed that he was just happy to have a role at the time. The success was just icing on the cake. “Starting out, you do things that no one ever sees. I had no idea it would still be around to this day.”
The cast returned in 2013 for The Best Man Holiday, also garnering much success. The film grossed $70,525,195, domestically. Naturally, the team had to wrap the franchise up for the fans. Now the cast is back together for The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
Nia Long, who plays Jordan in the franchise, sat down with Buzzfeed about why she wanted to continue this story after 23 years. “I think we owe it to the fans,” she said. “I think we were ready to just put all the rumors to bed, come and represent, and tell the final stories.”
Originally, director, Malcolm D Lee, envisioned two more movies to wrap up the franchise but he says a series would do it more justice. “You get a little bit more time to just expand on their story and dig deeper into their home life, their career life, their personal struggles and triumphs,” He said. “[The films] were the impetus, but it grew into something else.”
About the The Best Man: The Final Chapters
The eight-episode new series picks up nearly 10 years after the sequel. It follows the group “as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance.”
You can catch all eight episodes of The Best Man: The Final Chapters now streaming on Peacock.