At the third annual XL Film Fest, hosted by Troy Pryor this August, Chicago was home to a two-week, star-studded celebration of film, music, and storytelling. The festival (August 14–23) brought together homegrown names like Twista and Larenz Tate alongside Hollywood stars including Vivica A. Fox and Mekhi Phifer. Chicago News Weekly was in attendance, covering one of the standout moments: a live conversation between filmmaker and author Malcolm D. Lee and journalist Dometi Pongo.
Speaking before an energized Chicago audience, Lee reflected on his journey from screen to page, co-authoring a novel that continues The Best Man legacy. “It wasn’t until I listened to the audiobook that I thought, wow, this book is good. And I’m not just saying that to toot my horn.” Lee credited his collaborator, author Jayne Allen (Black Girls Must Die Exhausted), for helping bring new dimensions to the story. “I knew I couldn’t take on writing a novel myself. I needed a partner who could bring her lived experience.”
The novel, he explained, isn’t just a retelling but an evolution. “I just think it’s another evolution in the story of The Best Man. With each iteration, I’ve grown more mature as a storyteller.” He also addressed how the book allows the characters to expand beyond the films and series. “This book chronicles the perspectives of Harper, Robin, and Jordan… and it literally took us to Ghana.” That exploration gave Lee a chance to highlight Robin’s arc in particular. “What Robin did was radical for Black women — she chose herself. She chose her own habits, her own fulfillment.”
Lee hinted that The Best Man: Unfinished Business is just the beginning, the first in a planned trilogy that will bring fans deeper into the lives of beloved characters like Lance, Candace, Quentin, and Shelby.
Review: The Best Man: Unfinished Business
As someone who has followed every iteration of The Best Man franchise — from the original film to the much-anticipated Peacock series — my expectations for a book-length continuation were high. I’ve even turned up for cast appearances, including when Harold Perrineau and Morris Chestnut came to Chicago to launch Sable Bourbon. So when Malcolm D. Lee and co-author Jayne Allen sent me a publisher’s box with a softcover copy of the novel and launch gifts, I was already invested.
The novel focuses primarily on the franchise’s favorite love triangle: Robin, Harper, and Jordan. As Lee himself pointed out, the benefit of the book form is the ability to lean into internal voices and layered details in ways that films and TV series can’t always capture. That added depth is on full display here.
What stood out most to me was how Allen’s voice enriches the narrative. With her influence, the book layers in a different level of women’s consciousness that isn’t as prevalent in the films. The result is transformative: a character I hadn’t rooted for before became a surprising favorite as the chapters unfolded.
As a simple, engaging read with familiar characters, the novel accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do across its three acts. I strongly recommend it for fans of Jayne Allen — whose style weaves seamlessly into the text — and for longtime fans of The Best Man series. It’s the kind of book you won’t want to put down until you’ve turned the final page.