Maybe he saw this coming, because a few of days ago at an Essence event honoring Black Men in Hollywood, Tyler Perry who was joined by Sidney Poitier, Spike Lee and Malcolm Lee, reminded black filmmakers that there is “more than one path” when he asked them to find alternatives to getting their films made as he stressed the importance of ownership.
And while Perry still owns his film company, he is now without a distribution as Lionsgate, the studio that been associated with Perry since 2005, has decided not to renew its contract with the actor/director/producer/writer as they couldn’t come to a mutual agreement.
But what does this exactly mean for Perry? Does this make him the hottest free agent on the market, or is this a sign that it will become even more difficult for blacks to continue to make their mark in Hollywood. I’m not a fan of Tyler Perry films but there is a market for them and I do understand his importance when it comes to minorities in the film/tv industry. Only time will tell what’s his next move.
