Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry will play the main character of Alex Cross. I just finished watching the old version of the movie and I loved it, for sure I will love this new version even more.

When I first read the headline that Tyler Perry was set to play literary detective Alex Cross in a new film -- taking over the role from Morgan Freeman and Idris Elba -- I assumed it was an April Fools' joke. Granted, a very early April Fools' joke.

One week later, there's still no "Gotcha!" or "Just kidding!" to be found. Believe me, I checked.

So, yes, in an intriguing bit of casting, Tyler Perry, the prolific writer-director and creator of one of today's most popular screen characters -- the gun-toting, trash-talking grandma Madea -- apparently really is set to play Dr. Alex Cross in a feature adaptation of "I, Alex Cross," authorJames Patterson's 16th novel to feature the sleuth.

Filming is set to begin in June, with love-him-or-kinda-not director Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious") at the helm, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Freeman, now 73, portrayed the character in 1997's "Kiss the Girls," opposite Ashley Judd, and 2001's "Along Came a Spider," co-starring Northeast Ohio native Monica Potter.

Rogers and CowanIdris Elba

Meanwhile, it was announced last fall that Elba -- the sexy, 38-year-old English actor from HBO's "The Wire" and BBC's "Luther" -- would take over the role as a much-younger Cross in a franchise reboot. David Twohy ("Pitch Black," "A Perfect Getaway") was to direct that film, based on Patterson's novel "Cross."

Now, Elba and Twohy are out, and Perry and Cohen are in.

Why?

"When we came on, we looked at it freshly, and just built it from the bottom up," said Bill Block of QED International, the production company behind films including "District 9" and Olive Stone's "W."

"Sure, Idris is a great actor; Tyler Perry is a phenomenon," Block said. "Tyler Perry is one of the most significant entertainers in all of media. He is a huge cross-media talent and presence -- and he's a terrific actor whose range is going to be shown here."

Perry has acted before, almost exclusively as Madea, both on stage and on the big screen. However, he's actually been a warm presence in non-Madea roles in his dramas "Why Did I Get Married?," "Why Did I Get Married Too?" and "The Family That Preys." He also had a small but pivotal role as a Starfleet admiral in 2009's "Star Trek" reboot.

ParamountMorgan Freeman as Alex Cross in "Along Came A Spider."

"You're going to see Tyler Perry like you haven't seen him," Block said. "He's 6 feet 5, he is a linebacker. He is an awesome physical presence and is just going to tear it apart here. It's an intense, dramatic role."

Block also told EW that the original script, written by Patterson and Kerry Williamson, is being retooled for Perry and Cohen by the screenwriter of "Along Came a Spider," Marc Moss. The new film -- a "kick-a--, crusading action picture" -- will be the first of several planned, Block said.

"This is going to be the new Tyler Perry franchise, a worldwide one," he Block. "That's the other thing: Tyler Perry is going to take this to the worldwide audience. It's just a very different, much bigger opportunity."

In the meantime, Perry's Madea character is returning to screens April 22 in "Madea's Big Happy Family," an adaptation of the Perry stage play that was supposed to play in Cleveland last November before its surprise cancellation.