What started as a groundbreaking 1999 romantic dramedy is evolving into something even more expansive. Filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee, the mastermind behind The Best Man franchise, is officially taking his iconic crew from the screen to the page with the release of The Best Man: Unfinished Business, a new novel set to debut in July 2025.
The book, co-written with acclaimed author Jayne Allen, will serve as the first installment in a new trilogy exploring the next chapter of Harper, Jordan, Robyn, and the rest of the crew’s lives following the events of The Best Man: The Final Chapters, the 2022 Peacock limited series that was presumed to be the conclusion of the saga.
But clearly, fans’ demand for more was too strong to ignore.
“The beloved characters from The Best Man movies and hit television series reunite for a sexy and soulful, heartbreaking and hilarious reckoning of love,” reads the official synopsis. “Book one of The Best Man trilogy follows Harper, Jordan, and Robyn as they try to establish lives away from the hurts of the past and come to realize that some love is impossible to break.”
Day-one fans will immediately recognize the book’s title — Unfinished Business — which nods to the fictional novel that set off the drama in the original Best Man film.
In true full-circle fashion, this real-world novel picks up where the series left off and invites readers to experience the emotional growth, relationship struggles, and personal breakthroughs of characters like Quentin, Shelby, Lance, Murch, and Candace.
In an Instagram video, Lee explained how his love for the written word inspired him to try a new storytelling format. “Ever since I was a kid, I have loved the written word,” he said. “And I’ve always fantasized about writing a novel. Now, along with Jane Allen, I have done just that.”
He continued, “Fans all over kept on saying to me, ‘We want more, we want more.’ And I thought it was over. But then I said, ‘Okay, let me try this new form of storytelling.’”
According to Lee, the trilogy will allow longtime fans to experience a deeper, more introspective side of the characters they’ve grown to love over two decades.
“Unfinished Business is funny, sexy, emotional, and propulsive,” he said. “Sharing these new stories with longtime fans and potentially new ones is extremely exciting to me. It is both a continuation and a new beginning.”
The book will be available in paperback, on all major e-commerce platforms, and as an audiobook — just in time to make it your go-to summer read.
The Best Man continues to reflect the complexities of Black love, friendship, and identity in ways that feel timely, raw, and always resonant. Malcolm D. Lee’s literary expansion ensures that the conversation is far from over — in fact, it’s just getting started.
Pre-orders for The Best Man: Unfinished Business are now available. The novel will be released on July 1, 2025.
