Famed filmmaker Tyler Perry is shifting gears at Atlanta’s former Fort McPherson army base, proposing a large mixed-use development next to his existing studio campus instead of more soundstages.
Documents filed with Georgia’s Development of Regional Impact program reveal plans for the 38-acre “Tyler Perry Entertainment District” at 1801 Lee Street SW. The proposed project would span 1.3 million square feet of offices, retail, theaters and parking.
The site is adjacent to the 330-acre Tyler Perry Studios, one of the largest film production campuses in the country. Perry acquired the land in 2015 and opened the complex in 2019, complete with 12 soundstages and permanent sets such as a replica White House.
Perry once intended to expand the studio with an $800 million investment to add another 12 soundstages. But last year, he walked back those plans, citing the rise of artificial intelligence in filmmaking in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
AI tools that replace physical sets and on-location shoots with digital content have cast uncertainty over the future of traditional studio infrastructure. That has added to other headwinds for the movie production business, along with the 2023 Hollywood writer's and actor's strikes and a pullback in spending among consumers and businesses. In Los Angeles, average soundstage occupancy fell to 63% in 2024, according to FilmLA, down from 96% nearly a decade ago.
From fort to future
Georgia is among states luring production out of California with enticing film and television tax incentives.
The state has one of the most generous programs, providing a transferable income tax credit worth up to 30% of qualified production spending. Productions that spend at least $500,000 annually in the state can receive a 20% base credit, with an additional 10% “uplift” if they include a Georgia promotional logo or complete a state-approved marketing campaign.
But Georgia isn't the only state competing for a limited number of productions. Last month Texas lawmakers approved a $1.5 billion incentive package to help lure movie and television filming to the region over the next decade. And California doubled its annual funding for such credits to $750 million and made credits refundable for the first time.
Perry, a New Orleans native, moved to Atlanta in the 1990s and gained a loyal audience through his gospel-inflected stage productions, which eventually led to the creation of his grouchy grandma character Madea and a multimedia empire.
In 2008, he opened his first Atlanta studio by converting former Delta Air Lines facilities — becoming the first African American to own a major film studio outright in the U.S. His studio has since hosted major productions including "Black Panther," HBO’s "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," and many of Perry’s own films and TV series, helping establish Atlanta as a premier entertainment hub.
Perry’s new vision is part of a larger effort to transform Atlanta’s former military installations into engines of economic development. Megachurch leader T.D. Jakes, for example, is redeveloping 95 acres at Fort McPherson with housing, offices, retail, and a senior living center.
TerraGroup is listed as the developer for Perry's planned entertainment district. The Atlanta Regional Commission will evaluate the development’s impact on transportation, infrastructure, and surrounding neighborhoods. The DRI process is required for large-scale projects before local authorities can issue approvals.