The Harder They Fall was one of 2021’s most surprising and entertaining films, and now writer-director Jeymes Samuel has released the first look of his next film: The Book of Clarence.
Following Lakeith Stanfield (who was nominated for an Oscar in 2021 for the exceptional Judas and the Black Messiah) as an ordinary man who wants a bit of the attention a certain Jesus of Nassareth is getting in 33AD, the first teaser sees his rise from impoverished everyman to a charismatic speaker on the wrong side of James McCavoy’s Roman general.
Check out the first The Book of Clarence trailer below:
Debuting on Ebony.com, The Book of Clarence marks Samuel’s second cinematic collaboration with rapper Jay-Z, with both of them contributing to the soundtrack of the new film.
Sure, the plot of the new film might sound a lot like Monty Python’s Life of Brian, but the tone looks like something slightly different. According to Samuel, too, the director doesn’t want people to be scared off by the idea of a faith-based movie.
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“I would just like audiences to see Clarence’s full journey. A lot of times when you’re dealing with a story and religion is anywhere next to it, people shut down and immediately say, ‘Ah, that’s blasphemous,’” he told Ebony. Instead, see this as an exploration “of a guy who grew up in the times when Jesus came to age. This is Clarence’s arc.”
The director was also interested in reclaiming the position of people of colour in Biblical history.
“What happens when we, people of color and powerful women, occupy and inhabit a space? I knew I had to put our spin on it and inject our flavor into it.”
The Book of Clarence arrives in UK cinemas on 19 January 2024.
