Filmmaker Perry, Lionsgate keep it in the family

By Jay A. Fernandez

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tyler Perry has signed a three-year, first-look deal with Lionsgate, the studio that released his 2005 breakthrough debut feature, "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" and his subsequent films.

Under the agreement, Perry will produce three more feature films for Lionsgate beyond his next two releases, "The Family That Preys" and "Madea Goes to Jail." Lionsgate will also continue to handle Perry's additional multimedia output, including DVDs.

Through Lionsgate, Perry has released "Madea's Family Reunion," "Daddy's Little Girls," "Why Did I Get Married?" and "Meet the Browns," which combined have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office and on DVD.

Perry, who began his creative career as a playwright, has had success as a book author as well as in TV, film and on the stage. Also in the works is Tyler Perry Studios, an Atlanta complex that he is turning into a film and TV production facility.

Perry's TBS series "House of Payne," also distributed by Lionsgate, moves to syndication on Fox in September. "The Family That Preys," a comedy starring Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard, will be released September 12.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter