When the original film The Best Man aired in 1999, fans instantly fell in love with the characters as they navigated their complex relationships and lives. Then fans got to catch up with everyone for The Best Man Holiday in 2013. Now, in what's being slated as the last run for Harper (Taye Diggs) and the bunch, The Best Man: The Final Chapters wraps up storylines 23 years in the making.
So just what are the characters up to these days? How have they grown in their late 40s/early 50s compared to when the audience first met them in their 20s? Let's get reacquainted with The Best Man: The Final Chapters cast.
Taye Diggs as Harper Stewart
When we first meet Harper Stewart it was early in his writing career, having just published his book Unfinished Business. The novel was loosely based on the college exploits of him and his friends, which got him in a lot of trouble, especially with his best friend Lance (Morris Chestnut).
In The Best Man Holiday, Harper was in a bit of a dry spell when it came to writing. Thankfully, after some tough conversations, Lance gave him permission to write a biography on his life as a star athlete.
In The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Harper is quite the established author in the literary world. He's making a lot of money publishing a series about a character named Bumper G and is having his first novel adapted into a movie. Unfortunately, he still doesn't believe his work is respected as much as he wants it to be.
Taye Diggs has portrayed Harper since the very beginning of the franchise. The actor has long been a staple in Hollywood, currently starring in All American and he serves as the host of Back in the Groove.
Nia Long as Jordan Armstrong
Jordan Armstrong has always been driven by her career. She began as a journalist on the rise who is best friends with Mia and a college sweetheart of Harper, despite the two never really being able to solidify things. By the time viewers see Jordan in the movie's sequel, she moved up the ranks in network television and was just as ambitious as ever. Additionally, she had a new boyfriend (Eddie Cibrian). She also played a key role in helping Mia in her final days, as well as being there for Lance and her godchildren when Mia finally passed.
In The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Jordan is the top boss at MSNBC and is doing a fantastic job in the role. However, her professional success has taken a toll on her physical health.
Nia Long reprises her role as Jordan in the series. The actress famously appeared in movies such as Boyz n the Hood and Love Jones. She's slated to star in the 2023 movies You People and Missing.
Morris Chestnut as Lance Sullivan
Lance has always been the superstar athlete, and also a ladies' man in college. However, he always loved Mia. Although, the couple's nuptials almost didn't happen in the original film when he found out about her prior entanglement with his best friend, Harper.
In The Best Man Holiday, Lance was nearing the end of his NFL career and dealing with the illness and subsequent death of Mia. In her passing, Lance had finally grown to forgive Harper for his former misgivings.
In The Final Chapters, Lance is in the midst of a midlife crisis; retired from football and still knee-deep in grief. Plus, he’s being challenged to reframe what he knows about sexuality thanks to his son LJ (Eric Scott Ways).
In addition to The Best Man franchise, Morris Chestnut has starred in The Resident and Our Kind of People. He currently has a recurring role in All American.
Sanaa Lathan as Robin Stewart
Robin was first introduced as a chef and Harper’s girlfriend. Although, she almost walked away from the relationship after finding out about his "close" run-in with Jordan days before Lance and Mia's wedding.
In the sequel, viewers got to see Robin as a wife and expecting mother. She was key in getting her husband Harper to talk to Lance about writing his biography. By the end of the movie, she had given birth to a healthy baby girl named Mia.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters are revealing more about Robin than ever before. She’s still a chef, but her career takes on several stages. Additionally, her heart propels her as a "moral compass" of the group.
Sanaa Lathan has starred in hit movies like Brown Sugar and has most recently been seen in shows like Succession and Hit & Run.
Harold Perrineau as Julian Murch
Julian was introduced as a teacher passionate about education but a pushover of then-girlfriend Shelby (Melissa De Sousa). However, he found out he had a lot in common with a stripper named Candace (Regina Hall) and by The Best Man Holiday he had married her. The husband and wife ultimately ended up leading a charter school.
In the limited series, Julian and Candy are still in charge of the school, but he too is in the midst of a midlife crisis. To help him flush out his frustrations with the social injustices of the day, his marriage and friendships, he looks to ultimate fighting, and is quite the force to be reckoned with in the ring.
Harold Perrineau fills the shoes of Julian once more. Perrineau previously starred in shows like Claws, The Rookie and big movies, including The Matrix Reloaded.
Regina Hall as Candace Sparks
Fans don't learn much about Candace until The Best Man Holiday. Prior to then, we just knew her as a dancer trying to pay her way through school. However, viewers learned in the sequel of her challenges of maintaining a certain level of respectability in the educational world when people learned how she paid her tuition.
In the final chapters, while Candace is still an integral part of the charter school she started with Julian, she is deep in her doctoral studies looking at natural alternatives to prescription medications.
Funny woman Regina Hall portrays Candace. Hall was recently seen in Me Time and Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
Terrence Howard as Quentin Spivey
In both The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday, Quentin Spivey had largely been the playboy that offered unfiltered truth, comic relief and oddly enough, sage advice. He was also somewhat of an aspiring musician. But in The Best Man: The Final Chapters, fans learn he really comes from wealth and a business empire. His father developed a lucrative hotel resort chain and Quentin is now an integral leader in the business.
When it comes to his personal life, despite his best to try to move on with someone else, he winds up falling into old patterns.
Terrence Howard was nominated for an Oscar for his work in Hustle & Flow and will forever be remembered as Lucious Lyon from the hit show Empire.
Melissa De Sousa as Shelby Taylor
In the original film, Shelby was very entitled and incredibly bossy. Not much changed in the sequel, with the exception she had a young child and was making headway as a reality television star.
At the start of The Final Chapters, she is more or less the same, brashly taking want she wants — personally speaking that is. Professionally, she is trying to rebrand her Real Housewives persona into more of a news-anchor-ready talent. She remarkably becomes a little less "Shelby" in the process.
Melissa De Sousa reprises her role as Shelby. The actress was most recently seen in Our Kind of People and Black Lightning.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters is now streaming on Peacock.
