On the heels of his successful series “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” on Peacock, Malcolm D. Lee has extended his first-look deal with Universal Television.
As part of the deal, he will continue to write, develop and produce new projects via his Blackmaled Productions banner for a variety of platforms.
“Malcolm is an incredibly gifted writer, director and producer with an impressive ability to tell entertaining, nuanced stories that shatter records along the way,” said Erin Underhill, president of Universal Television. “We’re overjoyed at the success of ‘The Best Man: The Final Chapters,’ and we look forward to partnering with Malcolm on many more exciting and memorable projects.”
One of the original minds behind the 1999 film, Lee served as creator, executive producer and co-showrunner of the miniseries, which was released last year. Featuring the return of the film’s iconic class, the eight-part show concludes Lee’s “Best Man” franchise.
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After its premiere, the series became Peacock’s biggest ever series debut and the first series on the platform to crack Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming chart, ranking No. 5 in its debut week. It also recently earned a GLAAD Media Awards nomination, as well as seven NAACP Image Awards nominations and three wins, including one for “Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special.”
“The team at UTV has been incredibly supportive as I’ve been navigating my way through the television landscape,” said Malcolm D. Lee. “Continuing our flourishing partnership made sense on so many levels. I’m gratified to know Blackmaled will keep building our robust slate at a place I can call home.”
In 2021, Lee released “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” starring LeBron James. Through his Blackmaled Productions banner, Lee is currently overseeing several projects in development, including “The Classic” and “Real Talk” with Universal Pictures and “The Spoils” with Lionsgate Films.
Lee and Blackmaled Productions are represented by A3 Artists Agency; Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein, Lezcano, Bobb & Dang; and BazanPR.
