Netflix releases first clip from Ruth & Boaz
The film, previously titled R&B, now has a release date as well.
Netflix has released a clip from Ruth & Boaz, an upcoming modernization of the biblical story—produced by Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin as part of a deal to make “faith-based” films for the streaming service—that was previously titled R&B.
This is the film’s official synopsis:
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.
You can watch the 74-second clip here. The only embeddable version I’ve found so far is this vertical version on Netflix’s “shorts” feed:
When the film was first announced last year, I wrote:
There are a lot of culturally-specific details in the biblical story of Ruth that wouldn’t necessarily translate to a modern setting, like the laws governing widowhood and remarriage, to say nothing of the animosity between the Israelites (Boaz’s people) and the Moabites (Ruth’s people), which is never explicitly mentioned in the story but would have been on the minds of everyone who first heard it.
(It is quite possible that the book of Ruth was written to protest the Mosaic laws against mixed marriage that were ruthlessly enforced by Ezra and Nehemiah; I discuss some of these issues in my notes on The Chosen S2E6.)
So, I’m curious to see whether this film will preserve any of the themes of the biblical story (do Atlanta and Tennessee have the kind of mutual antagonism that Israel and Moab had?), or whether it will end up being a fairly generic romance (with a side story in which the female protagonist befriends an elderly woman).
So far, this clip is giving me “fairly generic romance” vibes. We’ll see.
The film starts streaming September 26.
Previous posts on Ruth & Boaz:
‘Tyler Perry, DeVon Franklin to produce modernized Ruth & Boaz story for Netflix’ (May 9, 2024)
‘Netflix hires actors, director for modernized Ruth & Boaz movie’ (October 18, 2024)
‘Netflix releases first photo from modernized Ruth & Boaz movie’ (February 10, 2025)
Upcoming Bible movies and TV shows:
now-July 21, 2025 — Testament: Season 1 (streaming: Angel Studios, with episodes streaming on YouTube and Facebook one week after their Angel debut)
July 13-27, 2025 — The Chosen: Season 5 (streaming: Prime Video - international)
September 5, 2025 — Light of the World (theatrical: Salvation Poem Project)
September 26, 2025 — Ruth & Boaz (streaming: Netflix)
Fall 2025 — House of David: Season 2 (streaming: Prime Video - Wonder Project)
November 2025 — Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints: Season 2 part 1 (streaming: Fox Nation)
December 19, 2025 — Zero A.D. (theatrical: Angel Studios)
2025 (no month specified) — The Carpenter’s Son (theatrical: Magnolia)
2025 (no month specified) — The Chosen Adventures (streaming)
2025 (no month specified) — The Promised Land: Season 1 (streaming)
Spring 2026 — The Faithful (television: Fox)
April-May 2026 — Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints: Season 2 part 2 (streaming: Fox Nation)
second half of 2026 — The Chosen: Season 6: Episodes 1-6 (streaming: Prime Video)
March 12, 2027 — The Chosen: Season 6: Finale (theatrical: Amazon MGM)
March 31, 2028 — The Chosen: Season 7: Premiere (theatrical: Amazon MGM)
no release date specified — David (theatrical)
no release date specified — Jacob (theatrical: Angel Studios)
no release date specified — Joseph of Egypt (streaming: Prime Video)
no release date specified — Judas’ Gospel (theatrical…?)
no release date specified — The Resurrection of the Christ (theatrical: Lionsgate)
who knows when Malick will finish it — The Way of the Wind (theatrical)