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Jeymes Samuel aka The Bullitts' The Book Of Clarence recently pushed back its release date from September 22, 2023, to January 12, 2024, in a recent schedule change made by Sony. Samuel's feature is a story about faith that follows a down-on-his-luck man from Jerusalem who embarks on a misguided attempt to use the rise of the Messiah for his own gain only to find himself on a path of redemption.
The Book of Clarence will not feature the traditionally all-white cast that viewers usually see in biblical films. It will star actors from Samuel's last feature, The Harder They Fall including RJ Cycler, Chase Dillon, and Academy Award nominee LaKeith Stanfield
The Book of Clarence is based on a man who tries to join the 12 apostles
The upcoming film will feature classical figures like Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and John the Baptist. Producer Jay-Z shed light on the film not starting an all-white cast and told Movie Web:
“Most of the stories told in the Old West didn’t include people of color. We know they existed. We know we’ve been here just as long as anyone else."
The Book of Clarence follows Clarence, a man from Jerusalem, who tries to make ends meet by betting on a chariot race and dealing in hallucinogens. However, he soon comes across the 12 apostles, and impressed by their powers, he decides to join them even though he does not believe in Christ as their Messiah.
Commenting on the character, Jeymes Samuel told the publication:
“Clarence is a person that doesn’t believe in anything outside of what’s in front of him, what he can see and hear. Clarence has a lot of inside belief—he has a lot of inside confidence. This man is sure he could fly. He reminds me of me growing up, but unlike me, he has no outside faith. I think it’s just a really interesting vantage point to explore living in that particular time and place, where most everyone around him is speaking about the Messiah.”
The feature will explore faith on many levels and take viewers on a journey of self-belief through the protagonist.
Confirmed cast list
The film will feature Stanfield portraying the titular character, Clarence. The Book of Clarence will also star RJ Cycler, Chase Dillon, Jacobi Howard, and Academy Award nominee LaKeith Stanfield from The Harder They Fall in lead roles. They will be joined by Omar Sy, James McAvoy, Anna Diop, Teyana Taylor, and David Oyelowo.
It was also announced that Oscar nominees Benedict Cumberbatch, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Alfre Woodard will be joining the cast along with Caleb McLaughlin, Babs Olusanmokun, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Nicholas Pinnock, Micheal Ward, Tom Glynn-Carney, and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor in supporting roles.
The Book of Clarence will be directed by Jeymes Samuel, who will adapt the project from his original screenplay. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, James Lassiter, and Tendo Nagenda will join him as producers and Garrett Grant will serve as the executive producer of the movie.
Fans now await the release of the trailer of the upcoming biblical Hollywood epic, which is set to premiere next year in January.
