LaKeith Stanfield Wants To Be Jesus (Literally) In The Book Of Clarence Trailer
Why settle for worshipping the Messiah when you could just be your own Personal Jesus (in the wise words of Depeche Mode)? So reasons Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) in the newly-released trailer for "The Book of Clarence," the upcoming old-school Biblical epic written and directed by "The Harder They Fall" filmmaker Jeymes Samuel.
Much like his feature debut, which /Film's own Ben Pearson declared his top film of 2021 (calling it "a much-needed infusion of new blood" for the Western genre), "The Book of Clarence" sees Samuel and a talented cast composed primarily of Black actors working in a historically white genre. Citing his admiration of swords-and-sandals classics like "The Ten Commandments" as the reason he wanted to make the period piece in the first place, Samuel admitted to EBONY, "[But] as much as we love these films, there are no Black people in there. 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."
He's certainly done just that, judging by the first-look footage for "The Book of Clarence." The promo sees Clarence and his companion — Stanfield's "The Harder They Fall" co-star RJ Cyler, who seems to be bringing the same exuberant energy to his role here as he did in his winsome turn as Billy the Blue Ranger in the "Power Rangers" movie reboot — coming face to face with Jesus Christ, whose actual face is deliberately (and amusingly) kept hidden by his hood. But rather than kowtowing to the supposed Son of God, Clarence announces, "I want to be like that now."
Watch the Book of Clarence trailer
Joining Stanfield and Cyler in the "Book of Clarence" cast is a deep bench of talent led by Omar Sy, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Micheal Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, James McAvoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The official synopsis reads:
From visionary filmmaker Jeymes Samuel, "The Book of Clarence" is a bold new take on the timeless Biblical-era epic. Streetwise but down-on-his-luck, Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) is struggling to find a better life for his family, while fighting to free himself of debt. Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah and His apostles, 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. The film features new music by Jeymes Samuel, JAY-Z, and more.
Noticeably, the trailer for "The Book of Clarence" avoids listing a specific release date for the film beyond sometime in 2024. We only just heard it was set to hit theaters on January 12, 2024, so presumably this is a move on Sony's part to keep the trailer evergreen — you know, just in case it decides to overhaul its release slate again while the major Hollywood studios continue to take their sweet-ass time hashing out a reasonable and equitable agreement with the striking actors' and writers' guilds.