Atlanta-based filmmaker Tyler Perry has a new Netflix movie in the pipeline and this one’s close to his heart. A Jazzman’s Blues is the title of the film, which was shot at his namesake studio in southwest Atlanta.
Perry said it has taken almost 30 years for the story to be told.
“I wrote it in 1995. It was the first screenplay I ever wrote,” he recently told People Magazine. “The two characters are just trying to find their own way in the world. Initially, I wanted to play the lead role of Bayou, but that was 1995 — I aged out.”
Perry On Actors Who Turned Down His Roles
Perry said that some of the actors he originally wanted for the project didn’t have enough faith in him.
“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. 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,” he told People.
Cast Members: Who Stars In A Jazzman’s Blues?
The Jazzman’s Blues has an all-star cast featuring the following actors:
- Brad Benedict
- Ryan Eggold
- Amirah Vann
- Lana Young
- Austin Scott
- Milauna Jemai Jackson
- Kario Marcel
- Brent Antonello
- Joshua Boone
- Solea Pfeiffer
- Rod Wood
What is A Jazzman’s Blues About?
“I was in Atlanta struggling to make it. I was hungry, sleeping on my cousin’s couch, eventually getting put out and being homeless. I was trying to get my first play off the ground, and this screenplay just poured out of me,” Perry is quoted as saying. “I held onto it for all of these years.”
