00:00I think that people really love and respond to these characters because
00:03it's relatable. They know these characters, they are these characters. So I think there's
00:10a relatability that is also evergreen and that people really clamor for because it's a reflection
00:18of themselves. Hi Malcolm, I'm Revee Ruff with Essence. Thank you so much for taking the time
00:26to speak with me today. How are you doing? My pleasure. How are you? I'm doing well. Thank
00:30you so much for asking. I did want to ask about, you know, the best man. This property
00:34is really enduring and standing the test of time. I think the first movie came out when
00:38I was in middle school, I believe. Oh boy, you're going to make me feel old. I'm not,
00:44because I'm not going to say how old I am. But the fact that this story has still so much
00:48interest for audience and it's even being introduced to a new generation now that has interest in
00:53what is it, the feeling of having something, you know, that you ideated, what, 23, 24 years
01:00ago, still be something that people are like just clamoring to know more about?
01:06Yeah, you know, I think for me, my intention with the best man was to create a classic, to
01:14tell some evergreen stories about love, about friendship, about all these things that aspirational
01:22folks, aspirational Americans want, right? And so, you know, it's great to know that that was
01:32achieved with the first movie and that people wanted more. I don't, I don't, I have a sense
01:39because of how much the movie, you know, gets screened and talked about, about how much they
01:44love it. So, you know, it's gratifying to, to know that that, that that's happening. So it feels
01:50great, you know, to have that kind of response and that kind of, uh, love to these characters
01:57in this, in this franchise.
01:58And I feel like every time that you come out with this property, it's like, there's big
02:04gaps in between. Um, they're kind of like pushes for like another sort of resurgence and renaissance
02:10in this type of, you know, black love story, friendship story, kind of lighthearted, but still
02:16dealing with heavy issues that, you know, there's, there's a push for that. Are you hoping that
02:20there's going to be more, um, I don't want to say mimicking you, but, but more properties that
02:24are coming out that are going to kind of highlight, um, that side of the black experience once this,
02:30um, goes live on Peacock.
02:31You know, it felt like there was a good, um, response or, or to the first best man. There was
02:42more stories that were, you know, getting in that space. Um, and I think that it helped change the
02:51industry in that regard. I think the same thing happened with best man holiday where you got to see a
02:57lot more television, uh, starring, you know, African-American casts, um, and movies for that
03:05matter. And I think it also allowed them to be in considered for franchises that are beyond that,
03:14um, that, uh, milieu this time around. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm hoping it's going to do the same thing.
03:21Um, you know, we'll see though. I mean, I think that people really love and respond to these
03:27characters because it's relatable. Um, they know these characters, they are these characters.
03:33So I think there's, um, a relatability that, um, is also evergreen and that people really,
03:41um, clamor for because it's a reflection of themselves.
03:44Absolutely. Now, again, we have big gaps between these. I know this is called the final chapters,
03:50but can we expect more of a story in about another eight to 10 years after this one airs?
03:55Okay. You cannot expect it. I, I, I, I, I said, I definitely said, you know, when it was asked
04:04before, like, is it going to be another like 15 years before we do the next iteration of best man?
04:10I said, no, there will not be. And I'm telling you, and it went, and I kept my promise. It's nine
04:16years. And, and, and, and, you know, and, and now people ask me, oh, these, what's the, it's,
04:21is it really the final chapters? It's really the final chapters. It's, um, that's it. You know,
04:26I don't, I don't have any other story to tell with these characters. Um, I think we've, we've run our
04:32course. I mean, um, I feel like these were and are great characters and we can always revisit them.
04:40Um, um, and so, uh, this is it. Wow. We're excited. We're looking forward to
04:47the final chapters and thank you again for taking the time today. My pleasure.
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