Is Janet Jackson really going to star in 'Why Did I Get Married Too'?

Janet Jackson

Sometimes casting news is released without taking into account current events.

Variety reported Thursday night that Janet Jackson is set to reprise her role as Patricia in Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married Too" for Lionsgate.  The first film, "Why Did I Get Married?," became the most successful non-"Madea" Perry film with $55 million at the box office. 

However, the trade's report does not take into account the news that Jackson's brother Michael, unexpectedly passed away at the relatively young age of 50 Thursday afternoon.  Janet Jackson was in London at the time of her Michael's death and her manager released a statement late Thursday night saying she was on a flight to Los Angeles to grieve with her family. 

Considering Perry would expect to shoot the film relatively soon, it's hard to believe Jackson would be willing to take on a project so quickly after this week's tragic events.  On the other hand, actor Liam Neeson returned to filming the indie film "Chloe" less than two months after the passing of his wife Natasha Richardson.

Jackson's character in the original is a successful writer and psychologist who prefers to analyze other' people's problems than her own.  The first film also starred Jill Scott, Sharon Leal, Malik Yoba and Michael Jai White, but Jackson is the only "confirmed" return so far.

At this point, Lionsgate and Perry are planning on opening "Why Did I Get Married Too" on April 2 of next year.  It will be intriguing to see if today's news changes that timeframe.