Deadline reports that several distributors, including LionsGate, pursued the franchise reboot.  Alex Cross was previously played by Morgan Freeman in 1997's Kiss The Girls and 2001's Along Came a Spider.  Perry is playing a younger version of the character, in a departure from his established persona as the star and director of his own films for LionsGate, which usually involve Perry dressed in drag as Madea, his most popular creation.

I, Alex Cross is directed by Rob Cohen, who created The Fast and the Furious franchise.  His last film as director was The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.  The first draft of the screenplay was a collaboration between screenwriter Kerry Williamson and novelist Patterson.  Currently, Marc Moss is rewriting the script.  Production on the reboot is scheduled to begin in August.

The rebooting of the Alex Cross franchise was originally envisioned as a vehicle for British actor Idris Elba, who famously played Stringer Bell on the HBO series The Wire, but apparently that wasn't meant to be.

Are you excited for the Tyler Perry-headlined reboot, or would you have preferred to see Idris Elba's take on the character?