Earlier this year, Tyler Perry was met with some backlash from critics after he revealed that he had no writers room. The “Madea’s Family Reunion” director also publicized that he was the sole writer for many of his films and television shows, which had many folks on social media pleading for him to rethink his strategy.
Well, now it appears that Perry is answering the prayers of some of his reviewers. According to Variety, the 51-year-old is gearing up to add a slew of new and young creatives from writing and directing backgrounds to his team.
When discussing his plans for his future, the “Why Did I Get Married?” star told the media outlet that he sees himself taking a step back and letting “fresh, exciting talent” take over the writing and directing reins.
Tyler Perry Studios president of production and development Michelle Sneed also told Variety that the filmmaker is excited about passing the baton to the new class of creatives. “We’re super excited about the young, up-and-coming filmmakers and new writers that we’re working with,” Sneed explained. She added, “Tyler has solidified his place in the industry; his brand is amazing, and we’ll continue to grow that. Then, on the other side, we’re working on promoting, providing a platform, and advocating for this new talent, both in front of and behind the camera.”
As some may remember, Perry shared a video in January in which he panned over many scripts of shows currently being aired on television, including “Sistas,” “The Oval,” “House of Payne,” and many more. In the clip, Perry was heard bragging about writing all of his projects the year before and said that while other shows had a writers room that usually consisted of 10 to 12 people, he didn’t have one. He then captioned his post, “WORK ETHIC!! Come on. Let’s go get 2020!!!”
Instead of being met with admiration, many people tied Perry’s admission to the likenesses they viewed across his shows. Folks had often accused the studio leader’s characters and storylines of being one-dimensional, with Hollywood veteran Spike Lee even describing Perry’s modern depictions of Black characters as “coonery and buffoonery.” Lee’s comments ultimately led to a drawn-out and very public feud between him and Perry, but the two men eventually put aside their differences. Perry later named one of his 12 soundstages at his Atlanta studio after Lee.
Perry’s change of heart about adding new members to his crew sparked excitement among those looking to work with him, including one fan who wrote, “Tyler Perry getting a writer’s room? Put me on.”
Another person commented, “@tylerperry how does one apply to become a writer in your new writers room ?”
