The cast for Carl Weber’s Family Business spinoff, “The Family Business New Orleans,” is now complete, with Lela Rochon joining the ensemble. Rochon will star alongside previously announced lead Brandon T. Jackson, as well as a talented lineup including Ben Stephens, Pooch Hall, Quincy Brown, David Banner, Yvette Nicole Brown, Orlando Jones, Nicole Galicia, Erica Hubbard, Sarah Carter, Stan Shaw, Bern Nadette Stanis, Nayirah Teshali, Sacaiah Shaw, Jenson Atwood, AzMarie Livingston, Deric Augustine, Kayla Nicole, and Nicholas Turturro.
The spinoff is currently in production in New Orleans and Los Angeles. Based on Carl Weber’s bestselling crime drama book series, “The Family Business” follows the Duncan family, led by the upstanding L.C. Duncan (played by Ernie Hudson). By day, they own and operate an exotic car dealership in New York, but by night, their activities take a more illicit turn.
The spinoff introduces a captivating setting, Midnight Blues, an underground casino and club nestled between Old Town New Orleans and the prestigious Parrish of Gator Lake. This unique establishment has been a staple in the New Orleans area for over a century, drawing jazz enthusiasts, tourists, and locals looking for a taste of authentic New Orleans nightlife.
Big Shirley Duncan, portrayed by Lela Rochon, owns Midnight Blues along with her younger brother Floyd (Pooch Hall) and her son Marquis (Brandon T. Jackson). As descendants of the original plantation owner and his slave mistress, the Duncans find themselves embroiled in a turf war with an emerging underworld boss, Jean LeBlanc (David Banner). When tragedy strikes with LeBlanc’s brother’s mysterious death in Midnight Blues, Big Shirley sends Marquis to seek help from their family in New York.
Marquis, determined to prove himself, bypasses Houston and heads straight to New York to enlist the support of the original NY Duncans, led by Vegas Duncan (Michael J White). With the crisis deepening, Bounty Hunter Curtis Duncan (Ben Stephens) and deadly assassin Lauren Duncan (Nayirah Teshali) are dispatched to Nola to handle family business in true Duncan style.
Several cast members, including Stephens, Stanis, Stan Shaw, Teshali, and Sacaiha Shaw, have already made guest appearances in the original series’ fourth season. Jackson and Rochon will also take on the role of Associate Producers for the spinoff.
Showrunner Nikaya D. Brown Jones, along with executive producers Carl Weber and Trey Haley, ensures that the spinoff stays true to the gripping narrative of the original series. Veronica Nichols directs some episodes of the production, produced by Tri Destined Studios and Urban Books Media.