Tyler Perry has made a deeper commitment with Netflix, adding TV series on top of movies.
The newly expanded deal with Netflix replaces his multi-year contract with Paramount Global’s BET, BET+ and Nickelodeon, which has been in place since 2017. He has created several series for BET and BET+ including “The Oval,” “Sistas,” “Ruthless” and “Zatima.” (He still owns a minority equity stake in BET+.)
Last October, he also signed an eight-film deal with Netflix spanning four years. The productive mogul has released three films for Netflix: 2020′s drama “A Fall From Grace,” 2021′s comedy “A Madea Homecoming” and 2022 historical drama “A Jazzman’s Blues.”
Perry has a legal drama for Netflix coming out later this month called “Mea Culpa” starring Kelly Rowland. World War II drama “Six Triple Eight” led by Kerry Washington has completed production but a release date has not been announced.
His first TV series for Netflix will be called “Beauty in Black,” which will have 16 hour-long episodes.
According to Netflix, “‘Beauty in Black’ follows two women leading very different lives. While Kimmie is struggling to make a living after her mother kicked her out and Mallory is running a successful business, they find themselves entangled in each other’s lives.” Casting has not been announced.
Perry has a separate four-film deal with Amazon Prime, which he signed in 2022.
His first TV deal back in the mid-2000s was with Time Warner and TBS, generating hits like “Meet the Browns” and “House of Payne.” He then had a long-running relationship with Discovery’s OWN Network with shows such as “The Haves and the Have Nots” and “If Loving You is Wrong” before joining Viacom, since renamed Paramount Global.
Last year, Perry tried to buy a majority stake in BET networks but Paramount Global changed its mind. Last fall, Perry said the bidding process didn’t go well. “I was disappointed about it for a number of reasons,” Perry said during a Bloomberg Equality summit at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta. “The way it happened was disrespectful in a lot of ways.”
He didn’t get into specifics but did say: “Don’t try to get me to pay for something that’s not worth anywhere near the value” Paramount said it was.
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