Tyler Perry Announces Some Big Movie News
Whatever you may think of his movies, Tyler Perry is making history. In 2019, for example, the director opened a 330-acre studio in Atlanta and became the first Black person to own one of the biggest studio lots in the country. As reported by IndieWire, Perry's studio is worth $250 million and sits on an old military base, Fort McPherson, which used to house Confederate Army soldiers.
This meant a lot to Perry, who brought up the irony while accepting the Ultimate Icon Award at 2019 BET Awards. "That studio was once a Confederate Army base," he said during his speech. "Which means that there was [sic] Confederate soldiers on that base plotting and planning on how to keep 3.9 million Negroes enslaved. Now that land is owned by one Negro."
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the Tyler Perry Studios officially opened with a star-studded gala on October 5, 2019, with people like Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Viola Davis, Ava DuVernay, and Samuel L. Jackson all in attendance. Now, almost two years after opening his own independent studios, Perry is ready for another big move ... and it involves Madea.
Tyler Perry and Netflix are bringing Madea out of retirement
On June 8, Tyler Perry took to social media to make a big announcement: Madea is coming back. After retiring the character for a few years, Perry has decided to bring her back via a new Netflix movie. "Hey, guess what's happening? Madea's coming to Netflix," Perry told his Instagram followers in a video.
"We need to laugh, man, too much is going on in the country," he continued. "We need to laugh, so, I was done, but she's coming back. Madea on Netflix. I can't wait." That same day, Netflix confirmed the new partnership with Perry, announcing that the new movie will be titled "A Madea Homecoming." Per the streaming platform, the film will be entirely shot at the Tyler Perry Studios with Perry acting, writing, and directing it. "A Madea Homecoming" is expected to land on Netflix in 2022.
Fans of Madea seem to be excited about Perry bringing back the hilarious character. I can't wait," someone wrote under Perry's Instagram announcement. "Madea gives me some of the best laughs of my life." Meanwhile, some others didn't think Made would be away for too long. "We all knew she'd be back eventually!!!"