'Hallelujer!' Madea returns in first look at Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming

Fresh off satirizing the end of the world in Don't Look Up, Tyler Perry is going back to his roots to deliver audiences a much-needed distraction from troubling times — Hallelujer!

That's right, Madea is officially out of retirement, and EW has your exclusive first look at her new adventures in Netflix's upcoming Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming.

"I was looking at the state of the world and how polarized it is… nobody's laughing," the writer-director-producer tells EW. "Nobody's getting the chance to belly-laugh anymore. And I'm like, 'What tool do I have in my arsenal that can bring that kind of laughter?'"

Perry, who talked about retiring Madea as he premiered A Madea Family Funeral in 2019, said returning to the character he first introduced onstage in 1999 was "like putting on gloves" he's worn before. The latest story in the franchise that began onscreen with 2005's Diary of a Mad Black Woman centers around Madea's great-grandson's college graduation, but hidden secrets and family drama threaten to destroy the happy homecoming.

Part of that family drama, Perry reveals, revolves around an LGBTQ story line, something the director hopes sends a message of inclusion to audiences. "How long does it have to be before you understand something?" says Perry, referring to those who harbor anti-LGBTQ sentiment. "Even if you don't understand, be open... I just think that if everything gets accepted in love, then you get a chance to see the person for who they are rather than what you think they are."

The film features all-stars of the Madea franchise, including Tamela J. Mann (Cora), David Mann (Mr. Brown), Cassi Davis (Aunt Bam), Brandon Black (Tim), and Isha Blaaker (Davi), as well as a guest appearance from Irish actor Brendan O'Carroll, best known for portraying the potty-mouthed matriarch Agnes Brown on stage and in the BBC sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys.

Watch Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming when it hits Netflix on Feb. 25, and check out an exclusive first look at the film below.

Tyler Perry Studios Tyler Perry as Madea in 'A Madea Homecoming'

Steve Dietl/Tyler Perry Studios (L-R): Tyler Perry, Brendan O’Carroll, Geneva Maccarone, Candace Maxwell, and Gabrielle Dennis in 'A Madea Homecoming'

Steve Dietl/Tyler Perry Studios (L-R): David Mann, Tamela Mann, Brendan O’Carroll, Jennifer Gibney, Tyler Perry, and Cassi Davis-Patton in 'A Madea Homecoming'

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