Tyler Perry Turned an Army Base Into a Hollywood Empire, and He's Not Done Yet

ATLANTA – Let's talk about what real ownership looks like.

In 2015, Tyler Perry bought 330 acres of Atlanta's former Fort McPherson Army base. Eleven years later, that land is one of the biggest production facilities in the entire country.

Not just in Atlanta. In the country.

Where It All Started

Perry's story starts long before the studio. He came to Atlanta in 1992 chasing a dream, and he has said that seeing a highway exit with his studio's name on it brought him to tears. Over the years he built his empire one step at a time. In 2006, he opened a 200,000-square-foot studio. He later operated out of former Delta-affiliated buildings in southwest Atlanta before making the move to Fort McPherson.

The Fort McPherson studio is the fourth expansion in the growth of his creative empire, and it's by far the biggest.

The Numbers Don't Lie

• 12 sound stages, built for productions of every size

• About 40 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places

• 200+ acres of green space for outdoor shoots and sets

• 330 acres in total, minutes from both the airport and downtown

Several of the sound stages are named after Black stars like Halle Berry and Denzel Washington. That's the kind of detail that says who this place is for.

History Meets High-Tech

Fort McPherson dates back to 1885, and the history is still on the lot. The post commander's house, built in 1889, still has its original craftsmanship. Studio leadership has described the approach as taking a hundred years of Hollywood know-how and building it into modern, state-of-the-art stages. Productions can shoot among historic buildings, then walk over to a modern soundstage and keep working.

A Whole City on One Lot

The backlot is a movie town in itself. It has standing sets for an airport terminal, a hospital, a bank, a courtroom, a police station, a county jail, a brownstone block, baseball fields, and a classic diner. Yes, there's even a replica of the White House and the Oval Office.

Big productions took notice early. Perry's own projects, including the Madea films, have shot there. So have Black Panther and The Walking Dead. The studio has also hosted events well beyond movies. A Democratic presidential debate took place there, and so did the 2019 Miss Universe competition, which aired live from the lot.

Making History

When the studio officially opened in October 2019, Perry became the first African American to fully own a major film studio. For decades, Black creators had to ask for a seat at someone else's table. Perry built his own and put his name on it.

He has said the studio rivals the big Hollywood names, including Warner Bros. Studio leadership has pointed out that it's the only major motion picture studio of its kind on the East Coast.

Perry also takes pride in what the land used to be. He has noted that his studio sits on a former Confederate Army base, so a place with that history is now home to Black creativity and ownership.

More Than Movies

Perry has long said he wants the studio to open doors, not just make hits. He has made a point of creating opportunities for African Americans and other people of color to work on his sets, a mission that goes back to his earliest studio days.

He has also talked about wanting to use part of the property to help women and girls who've been trafficked, homeless women, and LGBTQ youth who've been put out of their homes. The idea is to train them in the business and help them become self-sufficient, so they can pay it forward.

The studio has also offered paid internships through its six-week "Dreamers" program, giving young people a real look at how the industry works.

And There's More Coming

Perry isn't slowing down. A proposal filed with the state shows plans to grow onto another 38 acres of the old base as a mixed-use development. It would include office space, retail, and a theater, covering about 1.3 million square feet. The target finish date is January 2028.

The plans have people wondering if Perry will finally open the studio to the public. Tours were announced for 2020, and a 3,000-seat theater for concerts and events was part of the vision at the time, but neither happened. A new entertainment district could finally change that.

The Bottom Line

Perry took land that once housed an Army base and made it a place where Black stories get made at the highest level. For anyone dreaming big, it shows what's possible when you build it yourself.

Stay tuned. We'll keep you posted as the expansion moves forward.

We want to know what you think.