Tyler Perry might be pumping the brakes on expanding his studio with the onset of OpenAI’s new Sora model, but Terry Perry Studios is still an active television and film studio lot.
“I have been watching AI very closely and watching the advancements very closely. I was in the middle of, and have been planning for the last four years, about an $800 million expansion at the studio, which would’ve increased the backlot a tremendous size, we were adding 12 more soundstages,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter last month. “All of that is currently and indefinitely on hold because of Sora and what I’m seeing. I had gotten word over the last year or so that this was coming, but I had no idea until I saw recently the demonstrations of what it’s able to do. It’s shocking to me.”
Perry, who has a reported net worth of $1 billion, is the first African-American to own a television and film studio lot. In 2015, Perry purchased 330 acres of property in southwest Atlanta, the former Fort McPherson Army base. Four years later, Perry opened Tyler Perry Studios with 12 sound stages, 40 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 200 acres of green spaces. There’s also a series of customized sets including a bank, baseball fields, chapel, prison yard, hospital, coffee shop, farmhouse, diner, and cabin.
Recently, Perry purchased an additional 37 acres of Fort McPherson for $8.4 million. Already, Perry has filed several work permits to expand his sound stages and office space.
Films such as “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Coming 2 America” along with television shows such as “Divorce Court,” “The Have & Have Nots,” and “The Oval.”
Here’s a look inside Tyler Perry Studios — three of the most prominent customized sets and sound stages — used to bring film and television projects to life.
The White House
Perry drew his inspiration for the White House set after visiting the real presidential residence in Washington D.C. The three-story replica was built in 12 weeks and is used on the shows, “The Oval” and “The Have & Have Nots.”
Prison Yard
Shows and films needing a prison yard can find one at Tyler Perry Studios. The prison yard set includes a cement ground, high fencing with barbed wire, and a large prison as the backdrop.
Historic District House
One of the most striking buildings is the Historic District House. Built in 1889, the building was once a post commander’s house. Perry often uses it as the home of a recurrent character, Brian Simmons, in the Madea franchise.
