ATLANTA — Showtime has greenlit a series that will chronicle the early beginnings of Tyler Perry’s beloved character "Madea."
Deadline reported the drama series will follow Mabel Simmons, and how she became the woman the world knows as Madea. The story, set in 1972 Atlanta, tracks the origin story of the gun-toting senior created and performed by Perry.
It is written by JaNeika James and JaSheika James.
"Mabel," is a reincarnation of the character, who Perry once said he would retire just a few years ago.
“One last tour in 2019, it’s a farewell tour, and the last movie. The last film is 'Madea’s Funeral' that I shot two years ago. So, we gonna say goodbye,” Perry told Bevy Smith.
“I just don’t want to be her age playing her,” Perry explained.
But now the star will play a younger version of the character inspired by his mother and grandmother.
Recently, Perry spoke out against Georgia’s new election reform law that's gaining national attention as many are calling it a form of voter suppression.
Perry, who owns one of the largest film studios in the country, told 11Alive that the new law is “unconstitutional” and one that “harkens to the Jim Crow era.”
The statement comes as dozens of business owners, organizations, and filmmakers involved in Georgia’s billion-dollar film industry are calling for boycotts.
