Lionsgate announced today that it has acquired the rights to the next two films from writer/director/actor/producer Tyler Perry, Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too. The announcement comes as the latest title in Lionsgate’s Tyler Perry franchise, Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, continues its reign as the country’s #1 film for the second week in a row. The announcement was made today by Joe Drake, Lionsgate President, Motion Picture Group, and Co-Chief Operating Officer.
Academy Award® nominee Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) stars in Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself, which is based on Perry’s play of the same name. Perry’s signature character, the indomitable Madea, will be featured in the film. Principal photography is scheduled to begin on March 16 at the new Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself is expected to be released nationwide on September 11, 2009.
Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too is a sequel to the 2007 film Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?. Principal photography will begin later this year, and the film is expected to be released nationwide on Easter weekend, April 2, 2010. Last year, Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns opened on Easter weekend (March 21, 2008), with a three-day box office total of $20 million.
Said Mike Paseornek, Lionsgate President of Motion Picture Production, “We could not be any prouder of our partnership with Tyler Perry, an amazing talent, dedicated colleague and beloved family member.”
Said Perry, “A filmmaker could not ask for a better home than Lionsgate. The studio has provided me with incredible support over the years, allowing me the creative freedom to make the films my audience expects and comes out to support.”
Tyler Perry has released seven films through Lionsgate since “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” in February 2005, and they have collectively grossed nearly $350 million at the North American box office. Lionsgate has also sold nearly 25 million DVD’s of Perry’s films and video catalog titles. Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury television syndication company has delivered 126 episodes of his television series, “House of Payne,” which is airing in a dual window on TBS and in Fox station group-led syndication, and 80 episodes of his “House of Payne” spin-off, “Meet the Browns,” have already been ordered to air on TBS this summer and in Fox station group-led syndication in fall 2010.
