When DeVon Franklin and Tyler Perry sat down to map out their first project under a new partnership with Netflix, they knew it had to carry weight. Their choice was daring: a modern retelling of Ruth and Boaz, one of the Bible’s most enduring love stories.
“Scripture is the foundation of our faith,” Franklin, 47, told The Christian Post in an interview ahead of the release. “It’s also the foundation of this partnership. We wanted to take a story that has lasted for generations and bring it to life in a way we’ve never seen before.”
The film, Ruth & Boaz, arrives on Netflix on 26 September. Directed by Alanna Brown, it shifts the biblical tale to contemporary Tennessee. Here, Ruth—played by Serayah McNeill—leaves Atlanta’s music world behind to support a grieving widow. Along the way, she meets Boaz, portrayed by Tyler Lepley. The story is narrated by Phylicia Rashad, who frames it with the reminder that “every love story starts with truth, trust and sometimes tragedy.”
Franklin is no stranger to stories that mix faith and mainstream appeal. His previous credits include Breakthrough, Miracles from Heaven and Flamin’ Hot. But launching a faith-based drama on Netflix, he admitted, was a step into the unknown. “There’s no way to know what’s right. You step out on faith, and that’s what we did,” he said. “We told ourselves: let’s tell this story, and see how people respond.”
While audiences often remember Ruth and Boaz as a romance, Franklin insists the real depth of the story lies elsewhere. “It wasn’t about Ruth chasing love,” he explained. “She chose loyalty. She chose Naomi. She said, ‘Where you go, I go.’ That commitment to a higher purpose is what God blessed with love.”
He added that the bond between Ruth and Naomi is just as central to the story as the relationship with Boaz. “It’s a love story in more ways than one,” he said.
The release is a significant moment for Netflix, which now reaches more than 300 million subscribers in nearly 200 countries. For Franklin, the platform’s scale was impossible to ignore. “Even the biggest theatrical run has limits,” he said. “Netflix gives us the ability to share this story with the world in one moment. That’s something Tyler and I couldn’t pass up.”
Faith-based films have been gaining ground across the industry. The success of The Chosen, watched by hundreds of millions worldwide, showed Hollywood there is an audience for biblical drama. Franklin and Perry hope Ruth & Boaz will continue that momentum.
The pair have been friends for more than 15 years. Both say their mission is to create work that uplifts and inspires. Franklin sees this film as the beginning of a series of projects with that aim. “This is very big,” he said. “And it’s just the start.”
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