Tyler Perry Goes to the Bahamas (Exclusive)

Save the date for Tyler Perry’s next Madea adventure.

PEOPLE has an exclusive sneak peek at Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Destination Wedding, which sees the hilarious matriarch and her family attending her grandniece’s nuptials in the Bahamas.

The new film comes amid the 20th anniversary of the Madea movie franchise, which launched with 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman. 

According to a synopsis, Madea and her crew start “stirring up chaos and heartwarming fun” in the Bahamas after “Brian and his ex-wife Debrah are shocked to learn their daughter Tiffany is engaged to a rapper she met on a yacht — and the wedding is in two weeks.”

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Written and directed by Perry and filmed partially on location in the Bahamas, Madea’s Destination Wedding also stars Diamond White, Taja V. Simpson, Xavier Smalls, Cassi Davis, Tamela Mann, David Mann and Jermaine Harris.

Reflecting on two decades of entertaining audiences onscreen with Madea, Perry, 55, tells PEOPLE, “I’m filled with a tremendous amount of pride when I think of how Madea has continuously captivated audiences throughout the years.”

“She’s meant to bring joy, laughter and comfort, and to see people are still watching and enjoying is a wonderful thing,” he adds.

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As for what audiences can expect with Madea’s latest outing, Perry says the film’s tropical setting will shake things up.

“Audiences have enjoyed watching Madea in hilariously entertaining scenarios as the family’s matriarch, but now she’s a fish out of water on vacation,” he says.

“There was a lot more fun and ridiculousness to play with in this Bahamas setting. A family vacation with Madea at the helm also invites audiences to laugh together and feel like they’re along for the journey.”

Madea’s Destination Wedding marks the 13th film in the Madea cinematic universe.

Perry briefly considered retiring Madea’s antics, previously saying he was done playing the part while promoting the 2019 installment, A Madea Family Funeral. Yet the franchise was revived for Netflix’s A Madea Homecoming, with Perry reasoning at the time, “Nobody’s getting the chance to belly-laugh anymore.”

Perry, who has five upcoming projects for Netflix (Tyler Perry’s Straw, Ruth & Boaz, She the People, Madea’s Destination Wedding and new episodes of Beauty in Black), says he enjoys returning to Madea and her crew again and again.

“The most fun part of revisiting these characters was the feeling of stepping back into the lives of old, familiar family members,” Perry says.

“Putting on the wig and embracing the quirks of these characters was so nostalgic. It felt like reconnecting with loved ones who have passed but still live on in my mind. Their joy, laughter, our shared moments of humor — all live in my memory, which makes it so unbelievably fun.”

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Destination Wedding is on Netflix July 11.