Tyler Perry Studios and DeVon Franklin have teamed up with Netflix to produce a series of faith-based films.
Deadline reports that the multiyear, multipicture first-look deal sees Perry expand on his creative collaboration with Netflix to write, direct, and produce films under his Tyler Perry Studios empire. Perry’s new projects with Franklin will be co-produced by the pastor and best-selling author and Perry under Tyler Perry Studios.
“I’m so excited to be working with DeVon on this and future projects,” Perry said in a statement.
“I think in this polarizing world, and at a time where 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.”
Mike Elliott and Cory Tynan’s “R&B” will be the first film released under the new deal. It serves as a contemporary rendition of the timeless Biblical tale of Ruth and Boaz. Set in Tennessee, “R&B” follows the love story of a young woman who flees the bustling music scene of Atlanta to look after an elderly widow. Through this experience, she finds both her true love and the maternal figure she’s always longed for.
The film follows Elliot (Brown Sugar) and Tynan’s (Play’d) faith-based romantic comedy “Relationship Goals” that Franklin produced for Amazon MGM Studios. Perry wrapped his four-film first-look deal with Amazon last year.
“Tyler and I have been great friends for over 15 years, 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 said of the new partnership.
Perry’s recent Netflix release, “Mea Culpa,” dominated Netflix during its opening weekend, ranking No. 1 with 32 million hours viewed and 16 million total views. So far, Perry has released three films with Netflix, including “Mea Culpa,” “A Jazzman’s Blues,” and “A Madea Homecoming,” the 12th installment of his billion-dollar Madea franchise.
Franklin’s most recent releases include the Eva Longoria-directed “Flamin’ Hot” and “Miracles from Heaven,” starring Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah.
“We couldn’t be more excited to expand our relationship with Tyler Perry Studios,” said Niija
Kuykendall, vice president of Netflix Film. “Tyler and DeVon have created some of the most inspiring movies in the faith-based space, so they are perfect partners to help us bring even more of these stories to our members.”RELATED CONTENT: Tyler Perry Studios To Produce Unscripted Programming In New Joint Venture