Skip to main content

'God Is Using Him': Tyler Perry's History-Making, Massive, New Atlanta Studio

Share This article

Filmmaker Tyler Perry is making history with the opening of his massive state-of-the-art movie and television production studio in Atlanta. 

The media mogul's studios sit on a sprawling 330 acres with a dozen sound stages. It is bigger than Warner Brothers, Disney and Paramount's studio lots combined.  

For the grand celebration of the new Tyler Perry Studios, stars walked the red carpet in Atlanta over the weekend. It's a history-making move for the man Hollywood has often ignored. 

"I want it to feel like inspiration for everybody that's here," he said. "It's going to be incredible.

The studios are located on land that once supported a Confederate army fort, Fort McPherson, during the American Civil War.  Perry, 50, purchased a portion of Fort McPherson back in 2015. 

The grand opening comes just days after Perry unveiled his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, CA. 

"God is using him, not only in Atlanta, not only in the state of Georgia... and the world. It's no secret what God can do," one fan said.

Perry's impressive event was attended by major names in Hollywood entertainment, such as Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Cecily Tyson, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kelly Rowland, Halle Berry, and Gladys Knight, among others.

The weekend was capped with a powerful worship service Sunday.

"Couldn't close the weekend without Jesus meeting us on the lawn at the studio!!" Perry wrote on Instagram. "Having a full heart and a thankful soul to all that have prayed me all the way here."

Perry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he plans to fill out the massive complex even more, adding restaurants and retail shops as times goes on, hoping to turn the sprawling space into a destination for tourists and locals.

He also has his heart set on service. He has reportedly discussed using a portion of the complex to develop a crisis center to help victims of human trafficking. The entire project, Perry said, could be completed within 36 months.

During a speech at the BET Awards in June, Perry credited God for his many successes, saying the Lord has "blessed" him with the ability to provide jobs for up-and-coming actors struggling to find a place in Hollywood.

"When I build my studio," he said at the time, "I built it in a neighborhood that is one of the poorest black neighborhoods in Atlanta so that young black kids could see that a black man did that, and they can do it, too."

You can see more uplifting entertainment stories like this on Studio 5 on the CBN News Channel, Wednesday nights at 9:30 Eastern. Check local listings.  Click here to see a programming schedule.  This week's program also includes the inside story of one of the new stars of the NBC series "The Voice," as well as a sit-down with the daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes, who has a new book titled Ferocious Warrior.

Share This article

About The Author

CBN News