“The Star,” in theaters this Friday, is a new take on a well known story, the first Christmas.
A refreshingly different animated film, it’s a movie that actually puts the Christ in Christmas.
So it’s not surprising that Hollywood Producer Devon Franklin has something to do with it.
Franklin insists on using his platform to empower people with faith-filled, inspirational messages through his movies and TV shows, public speaking, books, media interviews, and social media channels with over 1 million followers.
At just 38-years-old, Franklin is the CEO and President of Franklin Entertainment, a company he started in July 2014, when he walked away from a high powered position at Columbia Pictures.
DeVon got his start in Hollywood as an 18-year-old intern for Will Smith. As the former Senior Vice President of Columbia Pictures, DeVon was one of the youngest and highest-ranking African-American studio executives in entertainment history. During his near 10-year tenure at Columbia, he championed some of Hollywood’s biggest box-office hits, including “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “The Karate Kid,” “Jumping the Broom,” and Heaven Is For Real.
In 2016 Franklin produced the hit film “Miracles from Heaven” starring Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah. After making the movie for a modest $15 million, it grossed over $73 million at the world-wide box office, making it one of the top-grossing, faith-based films of all-time.
DeVon is the executive-producer of the “The Star,” for Sony Pictures Animation. It is the first faith-based animated film to be released by a major Hollywood studio since “The Prince of Egypt in 1998.”
In “The Star,” a small but brave donkey named Bo yearns for a life beyond his daily grind at the village mill. One day he finds the courage to break free, and finally goes on the adventure of his dreams. On his journey, he teams up with Ruth, a loveable sheep who has lost her flock and Dave, a dove with lofty aspirations. Along with three wisecracking camels and some eccentric stable animals, Bo and his new friends follow the Star and become unlikely heroes in the greatest story ever told – the first Christmas.
Among the big names providing voices in “The Star” are: Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Ving Rhames, Anthony Anderson, and Tracy Morgan with music by Mariah Carey.
With a line-up like that, and Devon’s golden touch, this movie is a likely big hit.
Devon is married to award-winning actress, Meagan Good, and they reside in Los Angeles, California. He is also the author of three books. He and his wife co-authored the New York Times bestseller, “The Wait,” which reveals the benefits of waiting and delayed gratification to build a true love that lasts. DeVon’s first book, “Produced By Faith,” was also a bestseller, featured on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday, and explains how to build a thriving career without compromising your faith. His new book, “The Hollywood Commandments,” draws on DeVon’s 20+ years of experience in entertainment to help readers achieve an amazing life and a thriving career that glorifies God.
He’s also a public speaker, minister and spiritual coach.
DeVon was raised in Oakland, CA. His mother, grandmother, and seven aunts formed what he called a “coalition of strong women” that guided DeVon and his two brothers after his father tragically passed away at the age of 36 from a heart attack. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship along with a minor in Cinema-Television from the University of Southern California.