The Best Man: The Final Chapters Creator Malcolm D. Lee On Letting Go Of His Characters [Exclusive Interview]

It's so hard to say goodbye, but that's precisely what writer/director/producer Malcolm D. Lee has forced us to do with his upcoming limited drama series "The Best Man: The Final Chapters." A finale to the franchise that produced two hit movies, the eight-episode show premiering on Peacock this month will close the book on the beloved characters embodied by Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, and Melissa De Sousa.

Lee's feature film debut, 1999's "The Best Man, follows Harper (Diggs), a writer tapped to be the best man in the nuptials between Lance (Chestnut), Harper's NFL superstar best friend, and Mia (Monica Calhoun). Harper introduced the two love birds in college, but he inadvertently exposes in his upcoming debut novel that he once slept with Mia behind Lance's back. When this secret becomes obvious to friends, Harper struggles to keep an advanced copy away from Lance. 

"The Best Man" opened at number 1 at the box office and launched the then-29-year-old Lee's career; he went on to direct films like "Undercover Brother," "Barbershop: The Next Cut," "Girls Trip," and "Space Jam: A New Legacy." In between those, Lee gave us an update on Harper et al. with 2013's "The Best Man Holiday." With his career on a downturn, Harper flirts with writing an unauthorized biography of his estranged best friend, who's closing in on retirement and the NFL's all-time rushing record. Mia, Lance's wife, dies from cancer. And then the cliffhanger ending: Quentin (Howard), one who's not for commitment, suddenly announces he's engaged. 

I had the privilege to talk to Malcolm D. Lee about bringing the cast together for a third go and why is now the time to say goodbye to "The Best Man" franchise.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

We first met Harper, Lance, and the crew in 1999. It's been more than two decades, and the entire cast is back for the finale. What is that like?

It was a labor of love. Trying to get everyone back together was not easy. They're all very successful working actors, and it's hard to get everybody scheduled around the same time. There was no lack of desire on their part to want to be in the franchise and close out the series, but it's the demands of their own schedules that was tough. So it's great that we were able to accomplish that, because it's not an easy task.

But you did it twice, with like 10-year gaps between each time, right? That's not an easy thing to do in Hollywood.

It's not. But I think that there was a little fate with "The Best Man Holiday," I think that it was a reminder to people. Because the industry was going through a little bit of a weird change at that time in 2010 through 2014, where so-called African-American or Black or "urban" movies weren't performing so well. So that was an opportunity to showcase these brilliant actors again and then remind them of who these characters were. I'd always wanted to tell a second story but didn't really want to do anything too soon. But I think "The Best Man Holiday," it was time that everyone kind of needed that recognition and that boost again. And it kind of helped change the industry like the first one did.

And then with "The Best Man: The Final Chapters," I think we all owed it to the fans to answer the question of who was Quentin marrying. It was going to be a movie, and I had one other movie in my head that was going to follow that. But it was tough to get everyone together. It was tough to get the studio to figure out a budget that would be commensurate with the story I was trying to tell. And so, with the rise of limited series, it was like, this is an opportunity to do it on a smaller screen and would still be more expansive in our storytelling.

What is it about these characters that make us, the fans, gravitate to them?

I think they're just relatable. I think they're relatable characters [who the fans] recognize either in themselves or in their friends. Everyone knows a Lance, everyone knows a Quentin, they know a Jordan or a Shelby. So it's like visiting old friends and I think that's a good feeling that people have when they see it. They want to be entertained, they want to feel warm, they want to feel engaged, and they want to feel like someone sees them. You know what I mean?

When this movie first came out, you were like 29. Now it's a franchise. How emotionally connected are you personally to this particular story and to these particular characters?

I feel a great affinity for these characters and these actors. They were at the start of my career; they've continued to be in my life. Some of them were at my wedding. And then to bring them all back all together for a final time, I thought was gratifying. So, I think it's a great tribute to them and to the fans. People enjoy it.

Why say "goodbye" now? And is it forever?

It's time. I think we've had our run. I think to try to milk it anymore would just not be the right play. I would feel like [it would be] a money grab or I would be like, "Oh, making up stuff." And I don't want to just do that. I want to be authentic in the storytelling. I want it to feel special. I want it to feel classic. I don't want people to also say like, "Oh, they should have stopped." Get out while the getting is good and hopefully people enjoy this installment and don't say, "They shouldn't have done that." Because I don't want to be that franchise: "They shouldn't have done that."

I don't want to play devil's advocate, but we've been seeing more movies where older people are at the center of finding love. I think about "Book Club." It's basically like "Girls Trip," just with older women. So, what if 10-15 years from now and the fans want another update? Are you a hard no on that?

I would say we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. You know what I mean? If we're all still working in the business and we all feel the need to do that, then sure. But "Final" was in the title for a reason.

What can we truly expect from "The Final Chapters?" The last movie, we got excited, it had a Christmas theme, the trailer was very festive and jolly, and then — bam — Mia dies from cancer. Are you setting us up to cry again?

Lee: I will tell you, we are going to be in some places that are going to touch your heart. There's no question about it. But it's also a reflection of life, and I think that's just what people appreciate about the franchise — the relatability of it, and the surprise that life can bring to us, and the growth that we have as couples and as individuals. Sometimes that doesn't always line up, and health scares, and things that are happening in our body that we don't expect because we reach a certain age and things don't work as well, both internally and externally. So yeah, I mean, I'm not saying that you're going to cry. I'm not saying that you're not. You might.

One thing that stood out to me was the absence of the great Stanley Clarke. He did the music for a lot of your movies. Can you talk about not having him this time?

Lee: Yeah, I mean, I love Stanley. I owe Stanley a great debt of gratitude for doing the first and the second movies. It's so funny, too, because he introduced me to Robert Glasper [the composer for "The Final Chapters"] on the "Barbershop" movie we did together. Robert did a couple of chords on that. I love Robert's music, and I thought he was a good composer to bring us into this new millennium and with this franchise. So, love Stanley, I would work with him again. I consider him a friend, but I think it was Robert Glasper's time to come and freak his own spin on "The Best Man" soundtrack.

So, the series is eight episodes — that's twice as long as both movies combined. How was that? Did that give you more time to hone in more on other characters that you weren't able to do in the movies?

Lee: Yeah, it definitely gives you an opportunity to be more expansive in the storytelling and tackle some issues and some themes that Dayna [Lynne North, executive producer and co-showrunner] and I wanted to tackle about midlife metamorphosis. Again, so many things happen at this age as a single person, as a person trying to reconnect in life, to Lance trying to figure out what his next move is, is he going to find love again? Jordan's next step in her career; is she ever going to have children? Is she going to find love again? Are she and Harper going to link up? Are Harper and Robin going to last? Are Murch and Candace going to last? There's all these things that you want to explore. So it's great to have that opportunity to get a little bit more granular in your storytelling. It was great, but again, there's never enough time.

"The Best Man: The Final Chapters" premieres on Peacock on December 22, 2022.