In 2021, Jeymes Samuel unleashed “The Harder They Fall,” a revisionist Black Western with an All-Star cast and an equally impressive soundtrack. He turned the genre on its head, while still celebrating everything that he loved about Westerns of the past. And he looks to be doing the same thing with his new biblical epic “The Book of Clarence,” due out at the beginning of next year from TriStar Pictures and Legendary. And you can watch the brand-new trailer for it above.
“The Book of Clarence” stars LaKeith Stanfield as a man living in Jerusalem at the same time as Jesus. Inspired by Jesus’ rise, he “risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, and ultimately discovers that the redemptive power of belief may be his only way out” (according to the official synopsis). The movie also stars Omar Sy, Anna Diop, RJ Cyler, David Oyelowo (rocking a very biblical beard in the trailer), Micheal Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Marianne Jean-Baptiste along with James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch. That’s quite the cast.
The press release also promises a soundtrack featuring new music by Samuel, Jay-Z (who also produced the movie) “and more.” “The Harder They Fall” had a similarly stacked soundtrack, with tracks featuring Cee-Lo Green, Jay-Z, Laura Mvula, Kid Cudi and Lauryn Hill.
Samuel has cited “The Ten Commandments,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” “Samson and Delilah” and “Ben-Hur” as inspiration for the new movie, although if you’ve seen “The Harder They Fall” (or, quite frankly, watched the new trailer), you know to expect something completely different. He also called it a “fun-filled extravaganza,” which is very exciting. (He had “The Book of Clarence” all ready to go when “The Harder They Fall” was released.)
“The Book of Clarence” is out in theaters on Jan. 12, 2024.
