After a $41 million opening for his latest “Madea Goes To Jail,” Tyler Perry is not resting on his laurels. The multi-hyphenate hitmaker begins work next month on “I Can Do Bad All By Myself.” An adaptation of the 1999 stage play, its also the first work Perry produced to feature his signature character, wisecracking pothead grandma Madea. The story deals with Madea’s granddaughter finally learning to pick up the pieces of her shattered life following the end of an abusive relationship- that doesn’t sound like every other Perry movie at all. Perry’s got another bun in the oven for Lionsgate, “Madea’s Class Reunion,” which has a release date of 2010, but even with “All By Myself”’s accelerated shooting schedule, it’s expected he’ll find space for that as well.
We at the Playlist are vexed at Perry’s ongoing popularity, as he’s carved out a pretty sizeable niche for himself in the entertainment industry with his schlocky, broad, subtlety-deficient melodramas. At first it seemed like he was playing only to a specific base, but with this recent opening weekend, and news that his next two efforts will again be star vehicles for his pet creation and not ensemble pieces like a few of his more modest offerings, might Madea, and Perry, soon be entering the rareified popular culture movie lexicon alongside Batman, “Twilight” and “Eddie” star Olden Polynice? He’s already expanding beyond his core base with a role in this summer’s “Star Trek,” so he may be trying to ensnare geek audiences as well. How long is it before Perry is clutching an Oscar*?
*Ragnarok
