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Exclusive: Higher Ground, the production company of President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, has appointed Anikah McLaren to serve as Head of Film, Deadline can exclusively reveal.

McLaren joins from the recently shuttered Participant, where she spent a little over five years as Executive Vice President of Narrative Film, co-running the department as a key member of the leadership team. In her new role, she will lead Higher Ground’s scripted film division, reporting to President Vinnie Malhotra.

McLaren joins a team that also includes Jessie Dicovitsky, who is Head of Television, and Ethan Lewis, who oversees Higher Ground’s unscripted and non-fiction content. She’ll be based out of Los Angeles and will have VP of Film Mark Wright reporting to her.

“Throughout her wide-ranging career, Anikah has proven she can make bold, provocative, and cinematic visions a reality,” observed Malhotra in a statement to Deadline. “She brings invaluable experience,...

Peacock has announced the lineup of movies, TV shows, and live sports that will be available on the streaming service in August. The Peacock August 2024 schedule includes Mr. Throwback, the Love Island USA Season 6 reunion, Bel-Air Season 3, and the new film The Killer.

For the crime junkies, all seven seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street make their streaming debut on August 19. The fast-paced police drama portrays the brutal detective work of a homicide department in Baltimore.

Additionally, mark your calendar for the action-packed streaming debuts of The Fall Guy and The Fall Guy: The Extended Cut on August 30. The Bikeriders also cruises onto Peacock for its exclusive streaming premiere on August 9, and the magic of the Harry Potter franchise returns to Peacock exclusively all month long.

August Highlights

August 8: Mr. Throwback (Peacock Original)*

August 9: The Bikeriders (Peacock Exclusive)*

August 15: Bel-Air Season 3 – Premiere (Peacock Original)*

August 19:...

Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton entering into a unique arrangement, J.Lo fighting evil artificial intelligence, the roasting of an NFL legend, a retelling of the invention of the Pop Tart, Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt at war and John Mulaney’s six-night live comedy event from Los Angeles are some of the big titles hitting Netflix in May.

Debuting on May 3 is Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial debut, Unfrosted. The comedy legend works both sides of the camera for this humorous feature take on the birth of the Pop Tart. The movie is set in 1963 as breakfast cereal giants Kellogg’s and Post compete to become the first company to create a morning pastry. Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan and Amy Schumer also star, with Hugh Grant more than likely to steal the whole film with a turn as Tony the Tiger.

May is comedy month on Netflix and to coincide...

As summer approaches (for the Northern Hemisphere at least), Netflix is set to premiere a fresh season of one of its biggest hits.

Brigerton season 3 is set to arrive on May 16 and will debut a “new crop of debutantes” into the regency drama fray. Other original series of note this month include Indian drama Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (May 1), the Jeff Daniels-starring A Man in Full (May 2), and intriguing Korean title The 8 Show (May 17). Of course, Netflix is also rolling out a suite of true crime docs and docuseries as well. Chief among those options is Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal on May 15.

It’s the movie side of things where Netflix is feeling particularly lively though. May 3 sees the arrival of Jerry Seinfeld Pop Tart comedy Unfrosted. That will be followed by rom-com Mother of the Bride (May 9) and the Jennifer Lopez-starring Atlas (May 24).

If none...

The Netflix May 2024 originals, movies, and TV shows have been revealed and can be viewed below. The streaming service has also announced which movies and TV series will be leaving next month.

The May lineup includes Archer Seasons 1-13, Atlas, Blood of Zeus Season 2, Bodkin, Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, Mark Twain Prize Award: Kevin Hart, and Mother of the Bride.

The Netflix May 2024 slate also features Mulligan Part 2, Pokémon Horizons: The Series Part 2, Princess Power Season 3, Roast of Tom Brady, Selling the Oc Season 3, Thelma the Unicorn, Unfrosted, and more.

Netflix May 2024 Schedule

Available May Tba

Buying London (Gb) — Netflix Series

Follow luxury estate agent Daniel Daggers and the team as they navigate London’s super-prime market, where the drama is as jaw-dropping as the price tags.

The Life You Wanted (It) — Netflix Series

Gloria is finally happy after transitioning and settling down—until a longtime friend...

A federal judge in Philadelphia has ordered Terrence Howard to pay a penalty-heavy $1 million in back taxes — a skirting of payment that the actor justified in a voicemail to an official where he asserted that it’s “immoral” for the government to tax the descendants of slaves.

The Academy Award-nominated actor has been pursued by the Justice Department for over a year for non-payment of a $578,000 income tax bill covering what he owed from his 2010-2019 returns. Howard, 54, has not responded to the DOJ or turned up to hearings, so on Feb. 22, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Found in favor of the federal government and leveled a $903,114.72 judgment against the actor. That figure accounts for unpaid federal income tax assessments, penalties and interest for the 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2019 tax years, according to the judgment obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, and accrued interest up to December of 2023 — which has and will continue to pile up until Howard pays.

It’s an interesting month on HBO and Max this March, as two acclaimed films hit the streamer along with some intriguing original programming.

First up in the movies arena is the streaming debut of Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet. From beloved Paddington director Paul King, the film follows the adventures of a young Willy Wonka as he looks to become the world’s best (and weirdest) chocolatier. Later in March on Max, there’s also Dream Scenario, a highly-regarded comedy boasting Nicolas Cage as Paul Matthews, who suddenly starts appearing in people’s dreams for unknown reasons, and who naturally becomes very famous as a result of this strange phenomena.

Series-wise, the biggest show on Max this month is The Regime. It packs a solid cast, including Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Andrea Riseborough, Martha Plimpton, and Hugh Grant, and tells the story of “life within the walls of a modern...

With a premiere-heavy March ahead at HBO, there will be plenty to stream this month on Max!

The first Sunday of March brings the premiere of HBO’s new six-episode limited series “The Regime,” starring HBO alum Kate Winslet. Throughout the rest of the month, don’t rest on the streamer’s long list of library additions, like the recent musical origin story “Wonka” or A24’s sleeper hit (so to speak) “Dream Scenario”; and be sure some of the HBO’s biggest premieres, including “The Girls on the Bus” starring Melissa Benoist and Ramy Youssef’s “More Feelings” make it onto your calendar.

Plus, there’s no March without March Madness! For the first time, Max will stream all of the 2024 [NCAA] Division Men’s Basketball Championship live games and studio coverage airing on TBS, TNT, and truTV, including the NCAA Men’s Final Four National Semifinals and Men’s National Championship.

Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, also known as Ebertfest, is celebrating its 25th anniversary by hosting screenings of Bob Fosse’s most polarizing film and one of Malcolm D. Lee’s most beloved movies.

The annual celebration of movies, which is named for the famous critic, will run April 17 to April 20 at the historic Virginia Theatre in Champaign, Ill. It will kick off with an opening night screening of Fosse’s “Star 80,” a look at the life and brutal murder of Playboy model Dorothy Stratten that divided reviewers when it opened in 1983, with some seeing it as as exploitative and others believing it was a masterpiece. Ebert was certainly in the latter camp, praising the film with a glowing four-star review, calling it “an important movie…Devastating, violent, hopeless, and important, because it holds a mirror up to a part of the world we live in, and helps us see it more clearly.

Matthias Schoenaerts and Kate Winslet in ‘The Regime’ (Photograph by Miya Mizuno/HBO)

Max’s March 2024 streaming lineup includes the premiere of The Regime starring Oscar winner Kate Winslet as a paranoid chancellor with major control issues. The streaming service’s March slate also includes the debut of The Girls on the Bus starring Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, Natasha Behnam, and Christina Elmore as political journalists.

Documentaries A Revolution on Canvas and The Lionheart along with the comedy docuseries Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show will premiere in March 2024. And Wonka and Dream Scenario make their streaming debuts.

Series & Films Arriving On Max In March 2024

March 1

127 Hours (2010)

Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015)

Baby Mama (2008)

The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)

The Best Man Holiday (2013)

Bullet Head (2018)

Cabaret (1972)

Captain Fantastic (2016)

Deadpool (2016)

Dear White People (2014)

Dope (2015)

The Expendables (2010)

The Expendables 2 (2012)

The Expendables 3 (2014)

The Farewell (2019)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Godzilla...

Exclusive: Sanaa Lathan, who was recently Emmy nominated for her role on Succession, is to star as the infamous “psychic” Miss Cleo in a new drama series.

Legendary Entertainment is developing the project, Miss Cleo, with Lathan as exec producer. Former Sony Pictures Television head of drama Sharon Hall, who exec produced The Expanse, is also exec producing the project through her Mom de Guerre Productions.

Miss Cleo was otherwise known as Youree Dell Harris, an actress best known for portraying the spokeswoman for a psychic pay-per-call-minute service called Psychic Readers Networks in a series of commercials between 1997 and 2003. Her tagline was “Call me now!”

In 2002, the Federal Trade Commission charged the company’s owners with deceptive advertising, billing and collection practices. Harris was not indicted but the people behind it agreed to settle by erasing $500M in debt from its victims and paying a $5M fine.

Harris went on...

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Quick Answer: Currently, The Big Lebowski is available to stream with a Peacock Subscription and rent on Amazon Prime Video.

Watch 'The Big Lebowski' on Peacock

After 25 years, The Big Lebowski film still seems top of mind for a lot of people. So much so that to mark the anniversary, Julien’s Auctions is selling over 250 items of memorabilia, including two pieces worn by Jeff Bridges’ character.

Exclusive: Taye Diggs, known for his five-season run starring as the beloved Billy Baker, former NFL player turned high school football coach, on CW’s All American, has signed with A Management Company and Global Artists Agency for representation.

Diggs can next be seen leading the two-part BET+ film Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy based on the true crime story of businessman Lance Herndon. In the film, Diggs stars as Lance (Diggs), a successful Atlanta businessman, renowned in equal measure for both revolutionizing the city’s 911 system, and his womanizing ways. When he is found murdered in his own home, questions and allegations abound as to who might have wanted him dead.

Diggs also is set to voice King Triton with Amber Riley as Ursula in Ariel, the Disney/Disney Junior animated series.

Other TV credits include the series regular role of Dr. Sam Bennet in Grey’s Anatomy spinoff series...

As the calendar turns to August, Peacock is going to be home to some of the most exciting sporting events and movies on streaming. In addition to being the streaming home for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the NBCUniversal streaming service will host the WWE’s Summerslam, college football’s premiere Week 0 matchup between Notre Dame and Navy from Ireland.

In addition to all of the sports action, the streamer will become the exclusive streaming home of the most successful movie of the year, all of Hallmark Channel’s Summer Nights movies, and one of the most exciting Viking epics ever made.

Sign Up $5.99+ / month peacocktv.com What Are the Best Shows and Movies Coming to Peacock in August 2023? 2023 Women’s World Cup Finals | Aug. 20

The United States Women’s National Team is just two games into its quest to win its third-straight Women’s World Cup, but the excitement is already ramping up,...

Exclusive: Morris Chestnut (The Best Man: The Final Chapters), DomiNque Perry, Claudia Logan (Harlem), and Bryan Terrell Clark (When They See Us) have been cast opposite Diarra Kilpatrick on her upcoming BET+ series Diarra from Detroit.

Created by and starring Kilpatrick, the original dark comedy series, which is part of Kilpatrick’s recent overall deal with BET, is slated to premiere on BET+ in late 2023.

Diarra from Detroit follows Diarra Brickland (Kilpatrick) a divorcing schoolteacher who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date. Her search for the missing man pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld. As the case unfolds, her co-workers, friends, and lovers become unlikely allies as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole.

Chestnut plays Swa, Perry portrays Aja, Logan is Moni and Clark plays Mr. Tea. Character descriptions are being kept under wraps for now.

Exclusive: Terrence Howard (Empire), Jb. Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Rebecca De Mornay (Jessica Jones) are set to star in Giving Thanks, a coming-of-age comedy set in Inglewood, California that will go into production in June.

The story revolves around Marcus and Roddy, two best friends who work at a dead-end retail job and dream about jump-starting their dream of living on their own while seeking fame and fortune. The pair come up with an ingenious plan to kidnap the pet iguana of football star Achilles Cooper for ransom, while also forcing the famous player to headline the birthday party of Marcus’s father.

Howard plays Calvin Turner, a hard-working father who wants to see his son, Marcus, take advantage of the opportunities life affords him. Smoove will portray Marcus’s arch-nemesis Dexter, an ambitious hustler who manages the retail box store where he works. And De Mornay is set...

Exclusive: The Onyx Collective and Hulu original drama Reasonable Doubt has been renewed for a second season with Morris Chestnut (The Best Man) joining the ABC Signature-produced project as a series regular.

From executive producers Raamla Mohamed, Kerry Washington and Larry Wilmore, Reasonable Doubt centers on Los Angeles-based high-powered criminal defense attorney Jacqueline “Jax” Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi) as she deals with past traumas, a failing marriage, motherhood and a murder case, all while trying to keep her life together.

Chestnut is set to play Corey Cash, a charming, media-savvy defense attorney who often represents the underdogs. When Jax brings in Corey to help on a new high-profile case, she soon realizes that he’s more shine than substance and threatening her position at the firm.

The series also stars McKinley Freeman, Tim Jo, Angela Grovey, Aderinsola Olabode and Thaddeus J. Mixson.

Reasonable Doubt is created, written and executive produced by Raamla Mohamed.

Netflix has several new films and original shows coming out in April, just in time for Q2. Great classic movies and animated films arrive with this month’s slate rotation as well. Some Netflix originals tackle the incoming warmer weather that arrives starting April.

Starting with the classics, Penny Marshall’s “A League of Their Own” (1992) starring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Lori Petty and Madonna, becomes available to watch on the streamer April 1 while we all wait for solid renewal news for Prime Video’s TV series — created by Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson — that takes the movie’s story deeper. Leonardi DiCaprio’s mind-bending movie “Inception” also arrives April Fool’s Day. Animated hits “Hotel Transylvania” and “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” arrive the first of the month as well.

“Firefly Lane” Season 2 Part 2 will conclude the television adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s novel, which tells the story of Tully...

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always movie, John Mulaney’s new stand-up special, the second season of Sweet Tooth and the final seasons of Better Call Saul, Working Moms and Firefly Lane are among the much-anticipated projects hitting Netflix this month.

The Power Rangers movie, streaming April 19, brings back series castmembers David Yost, Walter Jones, Steve Cardenas, Catherine Sutherland, Karan Ashley and Johnny Yong Bosch as they face off against the evil Rita Repulsa (Barbara Goodson) once more.

John Mulaney returns to Netflix for his latest stand-up special, Baby J, on April 25. Baby J, shot at Boston’s Symphony Hall, marks Mulaney’s third stand-up special at Netflix, which also streamed his variety special John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch in 2019. The special is also Mulaney’s first since his recent divorce, stint in rehab and welcoming a baby with Olivia Munn.

At the end of the month, Netflix...

April will see a host of new movies and TV show arrive on Netflix.

Alongside film versions of TV shows The Last Kingdom and Power Rangers will be the second season of cult hit Sweet Tooth, and Beef, an intriguing new series from Ali Wong and Steven Yeun.

There is also a music documentary about Lewis Capaldi as well as Brett Morgen’s David Bowie film Moonage Daydream, and a stand-up special from American comedian John Mulaney – not to mention the arrival of a long-awaited season of TV that will make subscripers very happy.

There is a wide selection of titles being added in the UK that aren’t going to be on US Netflix, so below, we’ve signalled where you can find everything.

Find a full list of every movie being removed from Netflix here.

Nb: We put this list together with help from What’s on Netflix.

April will see a host of new movies and TV show arrive on Netflix.

Alongside film versions of TV shows The Last Kingdom and Power Rangers will be the second season of cult hit Sweet Tooth, and Beef, an intriguing new series from Ali Wong and Steven Yeun.

There is also a music documentary about Lewis Capaldi as well as Brett Morgen’s David Bowie film Moonage Daydream, and a stand-up special from American comedian John Mulaney – not to mention the arrival of a long-awaited season of TV that will make subscripers very happy.

There is a wide selection of titles being added in the UK that aren’t going to be on US Netflix, so below, we’ve signalled where you can find everything.

Find a full list of every movie being removed from Netflix here.

Nb: We put this list together with help from What’s on Netflix.

With its list of new releases for April 2023, Netflix is is hosting a 30th anniversary special for a very important pop culture franchise.

April 19 sees the arrival of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, a special that will celebrate 30 years of Power Rangers. This won’t just be your standard reunion show, however, but a full blown story in itself. Netflix’s description reads: “When Rita Repulsa returns, the Power Rangers are the only ones who can stop her! But after 30 years, can the team still be the heroes the world needs?” Ai yi yi, indeed!

Other TV options this month on Netflix include the Steven Yeun-starring road rage series, Beef, on April 6 and the Keri Russell-starring The Diplomat on April 20. Season 2 of family friendly post-apocalypse drama Sweet Tooth arrives on April 27 (which is also a very special Den of Geek writers’ birthday...

So many great stories in history start out with the key players hating each other — as it is in Netflix and A24’s “Beef,” streaming on Netflix in April. Amy (Ali Wong) and Danny (Steven Yeun) meet via parking lot bump turned action-movie car chase, their lives connecting and their road rage lingering in weeks and months after the incident. In reviewing the series, IndieWire’s Ben Travers said that “’Beef’ does a fine job balancing Amy and Danny’s practical intelligence and impractical passions; their bitterness toward the other driver ebbs and flows as their personal lives better or worsen, and it’s in these moments that the half-hour drama thrives.”

The series from Lee Sung Jin premieres on April 6. See below for more titles coming to Netflix in April 2023.

April 1

“28 Days”

“A League of Their Own”

“American Hustle”

“Battleship”

“The Birds”

“Born on the Fourth of July...

Malcolm D. Lee’s Blackmaled Productions has bolstered its executive ranks by naming Emmy-nominated producer Dominique Telson as executive VP of film and television and announcing three new key hires and promotions within the company.

Blackmaled’s new hires include Michael Scott Allen as the VP of television and Giselle Johnson as director of film. Chigo Menakaya, who has worked for the company since 2020, has been promoted to creative executive and leads Blackmaled’s unscripted content department. All three team members report to Telson and are based out of the company’s West Coast office on the Universal lot in Los Angeles.

The executive moves come hot off the success of “The Best Man: The Final Chapters,” which launched on Peacock in December and rates as the streamer’s biggest debut ever. Telson served as an executive producer on the project, which concluded the franchise following 1999’s “The Best Man...

After premiering on Dec. 22, “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” became Peacock’s first original project to make it onto Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming rankings.

According to data provided to NBCU by Nielsen and exclusively obtained by Variety, “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” is ranked in the No. 5 position in an early version of Nielsen’s Top 10 Streaming Originals chart for the Dec. 19-25 viewing period, during which it was available for four days. (Exact information about minutes watched during this period is not yet available.)

As such, this also marks the young NBCU-owned streamer’s biggest ever series debut. That title was previously held by “Bel-Air,” Peacock’s dramatic reimagining of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

Peacock has previously appeared on the Nielsen’s overall streaming rankings, but only with acquired episodes of the Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” and the Universal Pictures movie “Halloween Ends.” Additionally, the Universal...

In this weekly data series powered by Parrot Analytics we look at the top breakout shows of the past week. Breakout shows are the most in-demand series that have premiered in the past 100 days.

Demand for “1899” inched up by 3 last week, after the previous week’s 5 increase in demand, , according to Parrot Analytics‘ data, which takes into account consumer research, streaming, downloads and social media, among other engagement. This increase in demand came before the announcement on Jan. 2 that Netflix had canceled the show.

After “1899” premiered on Nov. 17, it ranked near the top of our new shows ranking and the fact that it has grown in demand for the past two weeks points to the show’s longevity. The show’s creators were also behind “Dark,” which became one of Netflix’s biggest international hits. These factors make it all the more surprising that Netflix axed the show and left fans sorely disappointed.

Nostalgia reigns supreme this holiday season with the Peacock limited series continuation of director/writer Malcolm D. Lee’s successful “The Best Man” film franchise. In a rarity for most networks — streaming, broadcast, or otherwise — that Lee, whose more recent hits include Tiffany Haddish’s breakout “Girls Trip,” got all his original stars from both the 1999 film “The Best Man” and its 2013 sequel “The Best Man Holiday” to revive their characters once again for eight episodes.

Considering that those stars aren’t exactly waiting by the phone, that is quite a feat, especially when other less ambitious efforts (“Friends: The Reunion” anyone?) haven’t quite gone as smoothly. With a cast that includes Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs (“All American”), Regina Hall Terence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), and Harold Perrineau, it’s more than impressive. The fact that they are all here — including Lee himself and Melissa De Sousa,...

For fans of a specific period of Black cinema, Peacock’s “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” is an epic, end-of-an-era conclusion on par with “Avengers: Endgame.” The specific period spans from roughly 1990 to 2000, when the Black romantic comedy grew into its power. The confluence of two successful movements — Black romantic fiction and Black indie cinema — birthed such classics as “Love Jones,” “Brown Sugar,” and “Love and Basketball,” among others.

Malcolm D. Lee’s “The Best Man” series has grown an outsize influence among Black rom-com aficionados because it has acted as a living history of the subgenre. Its core ensemble — Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau, Monica Calhoun and Melissa DeSousa — is a true murderers’ row of the era. They’ve spent their careers acting together in a raft of films, and Black rom-com fans that don’t count the original “Best Man...

Click here to read the full article.

Harper Stewart, the ambitious, obstinate protagonist of Malcolm D. Lee’s The Best Man franchise, has always had questionable decision-making skills and terrible timing.

In the eponymous 1999 film, the young writer, played by Taye Diggs, avoids telling his best friend Lance (Morris Chestnut) that he slept with his fiancée (Monica Calhoun) in college until days before the couple’s wedding (in which Harper is the best man). The news threatens both the nuptials and the stability of the friend group, forcing Harper to work some eleventh-hour magic. In The Best Man Holiday (2013), more after-school special than its predecessor, Harper surreptitiously tries to convince a still angry Lance to hire him as a biographer while struggling to support his pregnant wife, Robyn (Sanaa Lathan).

The lessons Harper learns after each narrow win never seem to stick, and nowhere is that more evident than in...

It's the end of an era. Nearly 25 years after introducing us to the famous "Black Pack," the "Best Man" cast are saying goodbye to their iconic franchise with Peacock's "The Final Chapters." It's truly been a journey for Harper (Taye Diggs), Lance (Morris Chestnut), Jordan (Nia Long), Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), Shelby (Melissa De Sousa), Quentin (Terrence Howard), Candace (Regina Hall), and Murch (Harold Perrineau), but their growth from Malcolm D. Lee's 1999 film to 2013's "The Best Man Holiday" to their new limited series has been a joy to watch.

"My only intention was to make a movie that stood the test of time and would be considered a classic."

"The Final Chapters," which premieres on Dec. 22, catches up with the "Best Man" crew and their unfinished business one last time, following the group of now-40-somethings as they navigate midlife crises, grief, changing relationships, and the woes of the world in their older years.

Malcolm D. Lee wrote the 1999 film The Best Man with the desire to showcase Black men like him who were underrepresented on screen at the time — the “educated, upwardly mobile African Americans who were just ‘normal.’”

Now, 23 years later, Lee is set to launch all eight episodes of the Peacock limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapters this Thursday, Dec. 22. Picking up where we left off with the 2013 sequel The Best Man Holiday, the show will catch audiences up with the friend group as they grapple with midlife crises and rebirths while entering a different stage of their lives.

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...

Something must be in the water to keep the cast of this limited-series coda to the Best Man franchise looking this ageless. But rest assured, 23 years after the 1999 origin flick and almost a decade past the 2013 sequel, The Best Man Holiday, the challenges faced by the now-a-list costars in these eight episodes are just as timeless. Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Harold Perrineau all return for creator Malcolm D. Lee’s “ode to the franchise and the fans.” (Credit: Jocelyn Prescod/Peacock) The story picks up a few years after Holiday, which ended with Howard’s mogul Quentin announcing his engagement, and we see the nuptials at a “sexy island destination wedding,” Lee says. “After the first two episodes, we catch up to modern day.” And life is still messy. Between career woes, marital fails, and secrets galore, “each...

Filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee has long considered how he’d wrap up the stories of “The Best Man” crew — Lance (Morris Chestnut), Shelby (Melissa De Sousa), Harper (Taye Diggs), Candace (Regina Hall), Quentin (Terrence Howard), Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), Jordan (Nia Long) and Murch (Harold Perrineau). And after two box-office blockbuster movies, the creator/executive producer/co-showrunner confirms that “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” is really the end.

“I don’t have any other story to tell with this friend group. I want to finish what I started,” Lee told Variety, as he prepared to debut the first footage from the limited series during the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival earlier this month.

“When the first ‘Best Man’ [came out in 1999], I definitely had no intention of doing a sequel, but if I did it was gonna be 10 years later, when they had a chance to live some life,” he says,...

Regina Hall is one of three women hosting the 2022 Oscars (along with Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer), a high point for the hard-working actress after 20+ years in the industry. The versatile star first emerged as a talent to watch in 1999’s “The Best Man,” but it was the following year’s one-two punch of “Love & Basketball” and particularly “Scary Movie” that helped her become a presence in Hollywood that was here to stay. Scroll through our gallery above (or click here for direct access) to see the Top 10 Regina Hall movies ranked worst to best.

In the years that followed, Hall delivered standout supporting performances in a wide swath of comedies, including “Malibu’s Most Wanted,” “King’s Ransom” and “The Honeymooners,” on top of the subsequent “Scary Movie” films. She also had a recurring role in the later seasons of the TV dramedy “Ally McBeal.” Her knockout comedic timing ultimately...

Regina Hall is one of three women hosting the 2022 Oscars (along with Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer), a high point for the hard-working actress after 20+ years in the industry. The versatile star first emerged as a talent to watch in 1999’s “The Best Man,” but it was the following year’s one-two punch of “Love & Basketball” and particularly “Scary Movie” that helped her become a presence in Hollywood that was here to stay. Scroll through our gallery below to see the Top 10 Regina Hall movies ranked worst to best.

In the years that followed, Hall delivered standout supporting performances in a wide swath of comedies, including “Malibu’s Most Wanted,” “King’s Ransom” and “The Honeymooners,” on top of the subsequent “Scary Movie” films. She also had a recurring role in the later seasons of the TV dramedy “Ally McBeal.” Her knockout comedic timing ultimately led to more substantial roles moving forward,...

Riele Downs (“Henry Danger”), Auli’i’ Cravalho (“Moana”), Asher Angel (“Shazam”), Chosen Jacobs (“It”) and Derek Luke (“Captain America: The First Avenger”) have joined the cast of “Darby Harper Wants You to Know,” TheWrap has exclusively learned.

The project is a 20th Century Studios film for Hulu that just started production.

The story follows Darby Harper, who after suffering a near-death experience as a child is granted the ability to see ghosts. To combat the existential boredom of high school, she runs a side business counseling local spirits in her spare time. When an unexpected occurrence happens between Darby and Capri, the most popular girl at her high school, Darby reluctantly agrees to help her and in the process learns how to fit in with the living world again.

Riele Downs is playing the title role of Darby Harper, replacing Storm Reid who is no longer attached to the project due to a scheduling conflict.

Exclusive: Melissa De Sousa has signed with Mainstay Entertainment for management.

De Sousa, best known for for her performance as the infamous Shelby in Universal’s The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday, films will next be seen starring opposite Morris Chestnut in the Peacock limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapters based on the films, set to begin shooting in 2022. Also on the television side, De Sousa recently wrapped the first season of Our Kind Of People opposite Chestnut for Fox.

Her other recent credits include recurring as Chief Ana Lopez on CW’s Black Lightning and as the pill popping journalist Mirta Herrera on Showtime’s On Becoming a God in Central Florida, opposite Kirsten Dunst.

De Sousa continues to be repped by A3 Artists Agency and Meyer & Downs.

Exclusive: King Richard‘s Daniele Lawson has signed with Luber Roklin Entertainment for management in the U.

The next edition of Universal’s 1988 cult classic comedy Midnight Run is finally happening after fits and starts throughout the years this time as a sequel we’re told. Regina Hall is set to star and produce in the feature which is being written by Brooklyn Nine-Nine scribe Aeysha Carr and also produced by Jesse Collins.

The details of the new version are being kept under wraps. The original movie marked multi-Oscar winner Robert De Niro’s pivot into broad mainstream comedy, the actor playing Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter whose job it is to collect mob accountant, Jonathan Mardukas, played by the late Charles Grodin, and get him to Los Angeles. The only thing is the accountant can’t fly, putting the easily irritable bounty hunter and fastidious accountant on an endless road trip in which they’re pursued by the Feds and a rival bounty hunter, Marvin Dorfler,...

Exclusive: Melissa De Sousa (The Best Man franchise) and McKinley Freeman are set for recurring roles opposite Morris Chestnut and Yaya DaCosta in Fox drama series Our Kind of People, from writer/executive producer Karin Gist and executive producer Lee Daniels. The role reunites De Sousa with Chestnut, with whom she stars in The Best Man franchise. Joe Morton also stars in the series.

Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s book Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class, the series written by Gist takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for more than 50 years. Our Kind of People follows strong-willed single mom Angela Vaughn (DaCosta) as she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate,...

Exclusive: Actor and producer Morris Chestnut (The Resident) is part of the producing team behind new feature Greenwood Avenue, about the Tulsa Race Massacre of 100 years ago.

The film will chart the story of a Philadelphia lawyer who follows a mysterious lead to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to discover the events of the Black Wall Street massacre of 1921 and her family’s connection to it.

Chestnut is teaming up with Tarek Terk Stevens of Terk Entertainment Group and Tressa Azarel Smallwood (All In) of MegaMind Media to produce the feature, which is scripted by Daryl Spivey (Black Pumpkin). The film is slated to begin filming in fall, 2021, with casting currently underway.

The Tulsa Race Massacre took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of them deputized and given weapons by city officials, attacked Black residents and destroyed homes and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The...

Morris Chestnut has been cast in a lead role of the Fox drama series “Our Kind of People,” Variety has learned.

Chestnut currently appears in the Fox medical drama “The Resident.” According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, Chestnut would continue on “The Resident” in a recurring role in addition to starring in “Our Kind of People,” with “The Resident” expected to be renewed as part of Fox’s upfront presentation.

Chestnut joins previously announced “Our Kind of People” cast member Yaya DaCosta, who will star in the role of Angela Vaughn.

Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s book, “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class,” the series takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for over 50 years. The series follows strong-willed, single mom Angela...

The cast of “The Best Man” film franchise is reuniting for a limited series that has been ordered at Peacock.

“The Best Man: Final Chapters” will feature returning cast members Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Harold Perrineau.

Peacock has ordered 10 episodes, with Malcolm D. Lee and Dayna Lynne North onboard to write and executive produce. Lee previously directed and wrote the two films in the franchise — “The Best Man” and “The Best Man Holiday.”

“Here we go! The band is back together!” Lee said. “I am very excited to bring these iconic characters back to the fans who have supported us through this franchise. 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.

Exclusive: Universal’s hit The Best Man movie franchise is getting a new installment as a streaming series. Peacock has ordered a 10-episode limited dramedy series The Best Man: The Final Chapters from the movies’ writer and director Malcolm D. Lee and former Insecure executive producer Dayna Lynne North.

The core star-studded original cast from the movies are set to return, including Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau. I hear the actors all recently closed significant seven-figure deals to reprise their roles in the series, which is eying a September start. The only missing original Best Man cast member is Monica Calhoun whose character died in the sequel, The Best Man Holiday, which was released more than seven years ago.

“We’re excited to reunite this beloved cast for a limited series run of The Best Man for Peacock,...

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s Luke Cook has booked a recurring role on the fourth season of the CW’s Dynasty. Cook will play Oliver, Kirby’s (Maddison Brown) ex-beau from Australia, a photographer who has come to town for a shoot, but has ulterior motives. They reconnect but his late-night partying and drug habit quickly take Kirby down a dangerous road. Dynasty is from CBS Studios in association with Fake Empire, with executive producers Josh Reims, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Sallie Patrick and Esther and Richard Shapiro, creators of the original Dynasty.

Cook is best known for his role as Lucifer Morningstar on The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina on Netflix and also recurred on the first season of Katy Keene for The CW. On the film side, Cook can be seen starring in the Australian indie How Do You Know Chris?. He’s repped by A3 Artists Agency and Artists First.

The cast and director of the Best Man movies is reuniting at Peacock.

The NBCUniversal streaming platform has ordered a 10-episode limited series titled The Best Man: Final Chapters that will continue the story from The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday. The principal cast of the two films — Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau — are all set to reprise their roles. (Monica Calhoun also starred in the two films, but her character died in The Best Man Holiday.)

The movies’ writer-director, Malcolm D. Lee, is also on board and ...

The cast and director of the Best Man movies is reuniting at Peacock.

The NBCUniversal streaming platform has ordered a 10-episode limited series titled The Best Man: Final Chapters that will continue the story from The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday. The principal cast of the two films — Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau — are all set to reprise their roles. (Monica Calhoun also starred in the two films, but her character died in The Best Man Holiday.)

The movies’ writer-director, Malcolm D. Lee, is also on board and ...

Not even remotely interested in seeing Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes or The Weeknd do their thing at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium?

We’ve got you. Instead of watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs go helmet-to-helmet for a shiny Vince Lombardi, head to these platforms and channels to get your Sunday evening fix of series and flicks.

All showtimes listed below are in Eastern Standard Time.

Streaming Alternatives Netflix

Shows: “Kid Cosmic,” “Firefly Lane,” “Hache” (Season 2), “Invisible City,” “The Sinner” (Season 3)

Films: “The Bank Job,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Zathura: A Space Adventure,” “Shutter Island,” “The Patriot,” “Little Big Women,” “Space Sweepers,” “Strip Down, Rise Up,” “The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity”

Amazon Prime

Shows: “Little Coincidences,” “What’s New, Scooby-Doo?,” “Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men,” “The White Princess” (Season 1), “Billions” (Seasons 1-3), “Black in Latin America” (Season 1), “Finding Your Roots” (Season 1)

Films: “Kiki,” “Dazed and Confused,...

Photo: 'Happiest Season'/Hulu With the holiday season now in full swing, that means it’s time for viewers and audiences to indulge in the tried-and-true tradition of holiday movies. Whether it’s the classics or more modern entries like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, The Best Man Holiday or The Family Stone, or even the numerous original movies from Hallmark or Netflix, there’s a reason we gravitate towards them. Beyond the usual Christmas-themed hijinks, we see a glimpse of the world the way it could be: where goodwill and harmony is possible for all, that people can change for the better, and the hope that everything could turn out alright in the end. With 'Happiest Season', co-writer and director Clea DuVall offers up the latest modern holiday film with a twist in terms of LGBTQ representation. And the result is a very charming film with laughs...

Exclusive: Cultural Icon, actor and producer, Nia Long has signed with Verve for representation in all areas.

Most recently, Long starred in and executive produced the hit Netflix psychological thriller Fatal Affair, which debuted number one on the platform. She is also currently starring alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie and Nicholas Hoult in Apple’s The Banker.

Next up, Long will star in and produce Paper Gods for ABC alongside Sony Pictures Television and Get Lifted Film Co.’s Mike Jackson, John Legend and Ty Stiklorius. She will soon also begin production on Dreams of The Moon in which she will star and serve as executive producer.

Recent credits include Kenya Barris’ critically acclaimed Netflix series #Blackaf, the Sundance nominated indie film Lemon, and Netflix series Dear White People.

No stranger to box office and television success, Long has been a part of three successful film franchises including Johannes Roberts’ 47 Meters Down,...