When the news broke about Ryan Coogler’s massive distribution and ownership deal for Sinners, the internet lit up with praise. Industry watchers hailed the deal as a game-changer, an unprecedented power move by a Black filmmaker in Hollywood. But according to Tyler Perry, it wasn’t exactly new. In fact, it was a playbook he helped write.
During a recent episode of Den of Kings featuring Kirk Franklin, Young Jeezy, and Derrick Hayes of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, Perry shared that he personally reached out to Coogler after Black Panther to offer some veteran advice. Not just encouragement but guidance on how to structure the type of deal that would ensure long-term ownership and creative control.
“When this deal with Ryan Coogler… everybody’s talking about the Sinners deal, ‘Oh my God, he got this amazing deal,’” Perry recalled. “Listen, I called that brother up—as I did a lot of them.”
Perry, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut film Diary of a Mad Black Woman, went on to explain that he’s been advocating for this kind of business strategy from the start of his career. “I called him up and said, ‘Here’s how you do that deal.’ And to see that they were able to pull it off, I’m excited for him.”
For Perry, ownership has always been the ultimate goal, and he has made it his mission to share that mindset with the next generation of Black creatives. “That’s what it’s about—holding on to the ownership. That’s what change is.”
The deal in question, which The Quintessential Gentleman previously reported on, gives Coogler’s company, Proximity Media, not only creative control over Sinners but also significant back-end participation and ownership in the project. The film debuted to critical acclaim and commercial success, further solidifying Coogler’s place in the upper echelon of filmmakers—but now, he’s doing it on his own terms.
In a statement from April, Coogler acknowledged the hype but humbly noted that, “Nothing about this deal is new. We’re just standing on the shoulders of those who came before.”
And now we know one of those shoulders was Tyler Perry’s.
