Will you be watching? Tyler Perry is stepping into his auteur era with upcoming forbidden love drama ‘A Jazzman’s Blues’ that unspools forty years of secrets and lies soundtracked by juke joint blues in the deep South.
“I’m beyond excited about it,” said Perry on PEOPLE ‘s Every Day podcast . “It’s something very, very different for me. And, so far the reception of it has been incredible.”
Written, directed, and produced by Perry, the upcoming Netflix film stars Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer as star-crossed lovers Bayou and Leanne alongside an ensemble cast that includes Amirah Vann , Austin Scott , Milauna Jemai Jackson , Brent Antonello , Brad Benedict , Kario Marcel , Lana Young , and Ryan Eggold.
Source: Netflix
Interestingly, the beloved mogul faced some casting struggles for the coming-of-age Drama that marks a drastic departure from his raucous Comedy.
“Unfortunately with this film, I went to a bunch of up-and-coming young artists who were getting a lot of attention and I asked them about doing the role,” he said in the exclusive interview . “They read the script, they loved the script, but I think there was a reservation or hesitation about working with me in particular on this film, because I guess they didn’t know how it would turn out.”
“Too bad, so sad for them,” he continued, adding, “a lot of times these teams don’t necessarily understand the power of my audience and what I bring. The people who are in [A Jazzman’s Blues] made it exactly what it was supposed to be,” he says. “It’s better than I ever thought it would be, but it’s always been very important to me to break new faces. And that has opened the door for me to be able to help so many people.”
The film features an original song performed by Ruth B. , songs arranged and produced by multi-Grammy winner & two-time Academy Award nominee Terence Blanchard , and music by Aaron Zigman with choreography by Debbie Allen .
‘A Jazzman’s Blues’ premieres exclusively on Netflix on September 23rd.
