Netflix, Tyler Perry Film To Tell Story of All-Black WWII Battalion That Delivered 17M Pieces of Mail

Netflix has announced that Tyler Perry‘s next movie for them, Six Triple Eight, will be based on the true story of World War II’s only all-Black, all-female unit, the 6888th Battalion. This project, which he will direct and write, will be the fourth Netflix film for the Atlanta studio owner.

The script that Perry is penning will be based on an article written in 2021 by Kevin M. Hymel and published in WWII History magazine. This past March, President Joe Biden presented the 6888th Battalion with a Medal of Honor.

The 6888th Battalion went through a three-year backlog of undelivered mail, and delivered it to American soldiers who were far from home. The 855 Black women who were a part of the 6888th Battalion performed the job while facing discrimination and many other obstacles that Blacks had to endure during that time period. They had a motto, “No mail, low morale,” that they used to fulfill their promise of delivering 17 million pieces of mail.

Deadline reported that Perry will be producing the project with Nicole Avant and Her Excellency Productions; Keri Selig for Intuition Productions; Carlota Espinosa; Angi Bones and Tony Strickland for Tyler Perry Studios. Peter Guber of Mandalay Pictures has signed on as an executive producer.

Perry’s previous three films on Netflix include A Fall From Grace, A Madea Homecoming, and A Jazzman’s Blues.

Last month, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported that Deniese Davis and Reform Media Group announced a development deal with Tyler Perry Studios that will bring more diverse storytelling to the television and film industry. According to Deadline, the deal covers television, unscripted, and first-look feature film projects. Perry said, “I could not be more excited to be joining forces with Deniese Davis and usher in a new era at Tyler Perry Studios, where we invite creatives to have the freedom to tell the kind of stories that they truly believe in.”