Jeymes Samuels is moving out from the West and into Biblical times with his second feature film, “The Book of Clarence.”
It’s been two years since Samuel blessed cinema with one of his projects. In “The Book of Clarence,” the filmmaker re-enlists LaKeith Stanfield and RJ Cyler to lead his Biblical narrative about a non-believer named Clarence who uses the fame surrounding a rising Messiah to mislead his community into thinking he too possesses miraculous abilities.
The film reunites a partnership between Samuel and musician and business mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, who served as a producer on Samuel’s directorial debut “The Harder They Fall.” Carter sits in the producer’s chair for “The Book of Clarence” alongside James Lassiter (“The Harder They Fall”) and Tendo Nagenda (“Mulan,” 2020). Garrett Grant was the film’s executive producer.
“The Book of Clarence” is jam-packed with Hollywood A-listers, including Alfre Woodard, Benedict Cumberbatch and more. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch.
“The Book of Clarence” comes out in theaters on Friday, Jan. 12. The film had its world premiere at the 67th London Film Festival on Oct. 11.
“The Book of Clarence” hits theaters on Jan. 12. Check for “The Book of Clarence” showtimes in the links below.
The film is Following its theatrical release on Jan. 12, “The Book of Clarence” will likely be available to watch six months later on Netflix as part of the streamer’s “first pay window” output deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment. After Netflix’s window expires, the film could move to Disney’s streaming platforms Disney+ and Hulu.
“The Book of Clarence” follows the journey of Clarence, a young man living in A.D. 33 Jerusalem who lacks faith but who seeks to find purpose in life. Down on his luck and struggling to pay a debt he owes, he opts to take advantage of the growing fame around a rising messiah named Jesus by misleading his community into believing he is the New Messiah in order earn a profit.
The cast of “The Book of Clarence” stars LaKeith Stanfield as Clarence and Thomas, RJ Cyler as Elijah, Anna Diop as Varinia, Omar Sy as Barabbas, Nicholas Pinnock as Jesus Christ, James McAvoy as Pontius Pilate, Alfre Woodard as Mother Mary, David Oyelowo as John the Baptist and Benedict Cumberbatch as Benjamin.
While “The Book of Clarence” takes place in the real-life location of ancient Jerusalem and features biblical figures like Mary Magdalene and Jesus, the plot of “The Book of Clarence” is not part of any actual narrative from the Bible. Samuel created “The Book of Clarence” based on the character Thomas’ (Stanfield) twin brother, whom Samuel named Clarence.
“The name Thomas was ‘Didymus.’ It means twin,” Samuel explained in press notes for the film. “So, Thomas actually has a twin brother. The Bible doesn’t talk about him, so, for me, ‘The Book of Clarence’ is a story of the twin brother that doesn’t believe in his brother’s journey. He’s a heathen, so to speak.”
“The Book of Clarence” has a runtime of 2h 16m.
“The Book of Clarence” is written and directed by Jeymes Samuel. This movie is a follow-up to the filmmaker’s 2021 movie “The Harder They Fall.”
Jeymes Samuel composed the entire soundtrack for “The Book of Clarence.” There are several featured artists on the tracklist including, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Lil Wayne, D’Angelo, Kid Cudi, Buju Banton and Shabba Ranks.
In December 2o21, Samuel and Lil Wayne released the music video for the soundtrack’s song “Hallelujah Heaven.” Check it out below.
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