By Michaela Gordoni
Serayah and Tyler Lepley highlight a timeless love story in their new Netflix movie, RUTH & BOAZ.
In this modern-day retelling, hip-hop star Ruth Moably leaves Atlanta after tragedy, finding a new home in Tennessee, where she starts to care for her late boyfriend’s mom, Naomi, who’s played by Phylicia Rashad. There, she unexpectedly meets Boaz.
The movie is directed by Alanna Brown and produced by Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin. Michael Elliot and Cory Tynan wrote the script.
“Around this time I had been doing a sermon series and teaching from the Book of Ruth about what it means to be single,” Franklin told PEOPLE of how he got inspiration for the story. “When I was going through that as we were trying to figure out what the first movie would be, I was like, ‘Oh, wait a minute: There’s never been a modern version, to my knowledge, of this biblical love story, and there’s never been a modern version of this biblical love story that featured people of color.’ ”
Related: DeVon Franklin Encourages Believers to Find True Happiness in Christ
Serayah and Lepley both auditioned while filming a completely different genre for GOONS, a horror flick.
“We were on set with GOONS, and then we’re going over here for the chemistry read via Zoom,” Lepley, 38, told PEOPLE. “We’re in the same hotel, so we got a chuckle out of that. I’ve worked with [Serayah] on like three different projects and it’s different every time because she knows how to go there. She’s a true professional.”
“I just really admire this icon that we have that also reflects who we are,” Serayah said of working with Perry. “Just me driving onto that whole studio lot was very inspiring and I was definitely taking that all in. It was a great experience.”
Christian rapper Lecrae will also be part of the movie’s cast, as will Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Jermaine Dupri, Gospel Music Association reported.
Last year, Perry and Franklin signed a multi-movie deal with Netflix. This is the first of their Netflix productions together.
“RUTH & BOAZ is a beautiful film about two people falling in love while fighting against outside forces,” Perry said in a statement. “DeVon and I loved teaming up to tell a well-known story rooted in scripture but told in a universal way to be enjoyed by a wide audience. Our hope is that people everywhere feel as much love for these characters as we do.”
“Tyler and I have been great friends for over 15 years,” Franklin said, “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. RUTH & BOAZ has been a true labor of love, and I’m grateful to finally share this first look with the world.”
RUTH & BOAZ comes out on Netflix on Sept. 26.
Read Next: DeVon Franklin, Tyler Perry to Produce Faith-Based Movies for Netflix
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +2Share:
– Content: +1