NETFLIX drops first look at ‘Ruth and Boaz,’ a modern-day Biblical love story from Tyler Perry & DeVon Franklin

Tyler Perry and Devon Franklin to release “Ruth & Boaz” starring Phylicia Rashad, Serayah, Tyler Lepley on Sept. 26.

On Monday, July 7, Netflix released a first look at the new film “Ruth and Boaz,” a modern-day retelling of the biblical story of Ruth and Boaz. Produced via collaboration between Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin, directed by Alanna Brown and written by Michael Elliot and Cory Tynan, the film is described as “a contemporary version of the story of Ruth and Boaz, one of the most iconic love stories in the Bible.”

“Set in Tennessee, Ruth & Boaz tells the story of a young woman who escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for an elderly widowed woman, and in the process finds the love of her life and gains the mother she never had,” Netflix revealed. 

Starring Serayah as Ruth, Tyler Lepley as Boaz, and Phylicia Rashad as Naomi, the film is the first installment of Franklin and Tyler Perry Studios’ creative partnership with Netflix, in which the duo will produce faith-based films under a multi-year and multi-picture first-look deal.

“I’m so excited to be working with DeVon on this and future projects,” Perry told Netflix. “I think in this polarizing world, and at a time when the world seems to be growing colder every day, we both share the common goal of wanting to spread some good. And there’s no better place than Netflix.”

“Tyler and I have been great friends for over 15 years,” Franklin added. “So when he called me to team up on movies that can uplift the human spirit, I jumped at the chance, and we couldn’t have a better partner than Netflix to help us inspire the world.”

Franklin first teased the project in November 2024 under the name “R&B.” In an Instagram post celebrating the end of the film’s production, the author and producer expressed his excitement for the project. 

“Never in a million years would I have dreamed that one day I’d get to make a movie with the legendary @phyliciarashad,” he captioned the post. “I wanted to make a love story for this generation and bring the Bible to life in a contemporary way!”

However, social media users had very mixed reactions to the film and its costume design choices. 

“I’m sorry but the fact that this movie is with Tyler Perry has me worried! The content he has published lately has been less than Christian or Christ like,” one user commented under Franklin’s post. 

“Now, who asked for this?” one user commented under the Netflix Strong Black lead’s teaser post. 

Another user joked: “Terrible wig this movies gonna be fire”

“The BIGGER picture is: God’s word is on the BIG SCREEN! But we’re so focused on the wrong things (wigs, skin color, etc), we keep missing it,” another user highlighted. 

The release of the “first look” comes a few weeks after a former actor on one of Perry’s shows—Derek Dixon—filed a $260 million lawsuit against the media mogul, accusing him of sexual harassment and attempting to cover up a sexual assault by offering to develop a show for Dixon. Perry, through his lawyer, has denied any wrongdoing and said that Dixon’s lawsuit is full of fabricated claims. As of now, the case is pending. On July 11, Perry’s latest installment of his Madea films, “Madea’s Destination Wedding,” is set to release, also on Netflix, and will be his first release since the lawsuit was made public in June, and could serve as a barometer for the public response to the case brought against him.

Tune into “Ruth & Boaz” on Netflix on September 26.