Tyler Perry to bring Madea out of retirement for new Netflix film

'A Madea Homecoming' is set for a 2022 release

Tyler Perry and Ion Overman in Tyler Perry's 'Madea Goes to Jail'. Courtesy Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Three years after retiring the character, Tyler Perry has announced he will be reprising the role of Madea for a Netflix film.

Set for a 2022 release, A Madea Homecoming will be the 12th film in the series that features Perry as the popular character.

The US comedian will be directing the coming film. He is also an executive producer and is billed as a scriptwriter, along with Mark Swinton and Will Areu, both of whom are long-time collaborators with Perry.

Perry broke the news of the film in a 40-second clip posted across his social media platforms. The video shows Perry sitting behind a home office desk, his voice cracking into Madea’s as he says: “This is Madea and I’m coming back. I’m on Netflix. I can’t wait.”

Bringing his voice back to its natural inflection, Perry then gives a succinct but pointed explanation as to why he decided to bring back the character.

“We need to laugh, man, too much is going on in the country. We need to laugh, so, I was done, but she's coming back. Madea on Netflix. I can't wait.”

Perry had announced in 2018 that he was going to retire the character. In an interview with the radio show Bevelations, Perry said it was "time for me to kill" Madea.

"I just don't want to be her age playing her,” he said.

Perry first introduced Madea to the world in the 1999 play I Can Do Bad All by Myself. Since then, the character has appeared in several plays, films and a book, as well as an animated film.

A Madea Homecoming will not be Perry's first Netflix project. Last year, he released thriller A Fall From Grace on the streaming platform. The film was written, produced and directed by Perry.