The biblical romance of Ruth and Boaz is getting a modern-day Southern makeover.
R&B sets the iconic love story in Tennessee where a young woman (Serayah McNeill) walks away from Atlanta’s cutthroat music scene to care for an elderly widow (Phylicia Rashad). Along the way, she finds the love of her life (Tyler Lepley) and the mother figure she never had.
The film also features Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Jermaine Dupri, Yung Joc and Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae, adding a mix of music industry veterans to the cast.
DeVon Franklin, who is producing the film with Tyler Perry, says this project is the first of many films from the Perry-Franklin duo, thanks to their newly inked multi-year, multi-picture deal with Netflix.
“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.”
And in classic Perry fashion, he has big plans.
“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,” Perry said.
Whether R&B is the next great faith-based hit or just another entry in the ever-growing biblical adaptation genre, one thing is for sure: it has the star power, the heart and the Netflix backing to make some noise.
