By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Monday, September 22, 2025

When DeVon Franklin began talks with longtime friend Tyler Perry about launching their new Netflix partnership, they knew the debut project had to be bold — so they decided to adapt one of the Bible’s most beloved stories into a modern setting: Ruth and Boaz.

“What's the foundation of our faith? Scriptures and the Bible,” the 47-year-old producer, author and pastor told The Christian Post. “It’s [also] the foundation of our deal and our partnership. [We wanted to] go to the Bible and tell a story that has endured for generations because it's an amazing love story, but we've never seen a modern version. 

“It felt like there was a great creative opportunity to modernize  this incredible love story and to do something that's never been done before … it just felt like the right thing.”

Premiering on Netflix Sept. 26 and directed by Alanna Brown, “Ruth & Boaz” brings the biblical narrative into contemporary Tennessee, where Ruth (Serayah McNeill) has left behind Atlanta’s music scene to care for a widowed woman. There, she unexpectedly falls in love with Boaz (Tyler Lepley). Phylicia Rashad provides narration, reminding audiences that “every love story starts with truth, trust and sometimes tragedy.”

Franklin is no stranger to the world of filmmaking; he’s behind a slew of both mainstream and overtly faith-based films, including “Flamin’ Hot Cheetos,” “Breakthrough” and “Miracles from Heaven.” 

But launching “Ruth & Boaz,” a faith-based film for a largely mainstream platform like Netflix, he said, was a step of faith.

“There's no way to know what's the right thing to do,” he said. “You have to step out on faith, and that's what we did. We felt like, all right, let's just take a step of faith and tell this love story, and let's see how people respond to it.”

While the biblical account of Ruth and Boaz is often remembered as a romance, Franklin emphasized that it’s actually a story of faith, trust and friendship — and he’s hoping the film, though a drama, will point viewers to those deeper truths.

“A lot of times, people talk about Ruth and Boaz, and they remember it as a love story where Ruth set out to meet Boaz. That's not true,” he said. “Ruth made a commitment to Naomi not to go home alone. ‘Where you go, I go,’ and as part of her commitment and service, she was committed to a purpose higher than herself. What happened? God blessed her with a love.”

Franklin pointed to the often-overlooked exchange between Naomi and Ruth. “If you go back to Scripture, Naomi told Ruth, ‘Hey, you're basically not going to get married again, so don't follow me. Stay in Moab.’ And Ruth said, ‘No, your God will be my God. And where you go, I go. And as there were results of that, God then blessed her with love.”

“It's not just a love story between Ruth and Boaz,” he added. “It's also a love story between Ruth and Naomi, and it's very important to remember: commit to the greater purpose of your purpose and to be of service. And let's see how God brings love as a part of that.”

The release of “Ruth & Boaz” on Netflix, which has over 300 million members in 190 countries,  marks a watershed moment for faith-based media. Last year, Tyler Perry Studios and Franklin announced they’d partnered with Netflix to produce faith-based films under a multi-year, multi-picture, first-look deal. 

According to Franklin, the streaming giant’s global reach offers unprecedented opportunities for uplifting content to find new audiences. The distribution muscle Netflix has, he said, will elevate faith-based storytelling to a new level.

“Netflix is the number one streaming company in the world,” he emphasized. “No matter how successful a theatrical film [is], you’re still limited by how many theaters are gonna happen. So being able to partner with Netflix and be able to put this movie out around the world was an opportunity that Tyler and I could not pass up.”

Franklin and Perry’s creative partnership has been years in the making; friends for more than 15 years, Franklin said the two share a mission of telling stories that uplift, inspire and bring light in an increasingly divided culture. “Ruth & Boaz,” he said, embodies that mission. 

“This is very big, and we have the biggest partner in entertainment to help us put this film out,” he said. “This is the beginning of what will be a series of films that we believe will uplift and inspire the world.”

Spurred by the success of “The Chosen,” which has been watched by more than 280 million unique viewers worldwide, Netflix is the latest major streaming service to invest in faith-based movies and series.

In October, Wonder Project, led by Jon Erwin, director of “I Can Only Imagine” and “Jesus Revolution,” and Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten, a former Netflix and YouTube executive, will launch a new streaming channel on Amazon's Prime Video. The platform will premiere the second season of "House of David” and will feature more than 125 licensed titles and over 1,000 hours of film and television programming.

“House of David” star Michael Iskander recently told The Christian Post that the success of series like “The Chosen” and “House of David” rewrote the rules for Hollywood gatekeepers.

“‘The Chosen’ kind of paved the path for a lot of other creators. And it showed that there is an audience. There are people who want to see biblical stories and faith-based stories,” the 23-year-old said.

“‘House of David’ was the show to come after that … I mean, we're very lucky that there's some truly phenomenal filmmakers out in the world that are creating art for God and inspiring people through that art.”

"Ruth & Boaz" premieres on Netflix Sept. 26.