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After a nearly four-year partnership that has yielded only the finest in crossdressing minstrelsy and Cosby-kid jail-ho cameos, Lionsgate and Tyler Perry today announced a new development pact for the glitter-shitting auteur through at least 2011. According to a press release issued this afternoon, the deal picks up after the release of Perry's next two films — The Family That Preys and Madea Goes to Jail (infamously co-starring Keshia Knight Pulliam in the plum role of "Imprisoned Hooker") — and will keep the 'Gate in the lucrative Perry DVD business for the foreseeable future as well.

Re-upping with Perry was a no-brainer for Lionsgate, which has raked in almost $250 million from the writer-director-actor's films since 2005's Diary of a Mad Black Woman. And as alluded to after the jump by 'Gate production boss Mike Paseornek, the pressure is on as Perry joins Eli Roth as the genre cornerstones that will restore the studio to its Hostel/Crash-era greatness:

"Tyler Perry defines the bold entrepreneurial spirit that sets Lionsgate apart as a next generation studio connecting with audiences in new and exciting ways," said Mike Paseornek, President of Motion Picture Production for Lionsgate. "He is one of the most original, prolific and successful creative voices in the entertainment world today, and we're thrilled to extend this remarkable entrepreneurial partnership for another three years. The Tyler Perry franchise is a unique global phenomenon, and we're privileged to call Tyler a member of our Lionsgate family."

Translation: "Our rich uncle wears a frock." Alas. Nobody's perfect!