Malcolm D. Lee Extends First-Look Deal With Universal Television

Katie Campione
·2 min read
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Malcolm D. Lee has extended his first-look deal with Universal Television, where he will continue to write, develop and produce new projects via his Blackmaled Productions banner for a variety of platforms.

Lee made his directorial debut in 1999 with The Best Man. He recently concluded the franchise with a UTV-produced streaming series on Peacock, titled The Best Man: The Final Chapters. He served as creator, executive producer and co-showrunner alongside former Insecure executive producer Dayna Lynne North.

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The Best Man: The Final Chapters is 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.

Lee followed up The Best Man franchise with two more very successful feature comedies for Universal, Girls Trip and Night School, which he produced and directed. In 2018, he expanded his relationship with the studio to television, signing a first-look deal with Universal TV.

“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, 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.”

“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.”

Lee also directed 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy. Through his Blackmaled Productions banner, Lee is currently overseeing several projects in development, including The Classic (Universal Pictures), Real Talk (Universal Pictures) and The Spoils (Lionsgate Films).

Lee and Blackmaled Productions are represented by A3 Artists Agency and Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein, Lezcano, Bobb & Dang.

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