by Tim Gordon
Writer/director Jeymes Samuel’s follow-up film to his 20-time Black Reel Award-nominated film, The Harder They Fall is the satirical biblical comedy-drama, The Book of Clarence.
Samuel’s story is centered on a man, Clarence struggling to find a better life, he is captivated by the power of the rising Messiah and soon risks everything to carve a path to a divine existence. Inspired by biblical epics such as The Ten Commandments, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Samson and Delilah, and Ben-Hur, Samuel brought his spin to these legendary stories.
Written and directed by Samuel, and produced by Samuel, Jay-Z, James Lassiter, and Tendo Nagenda. The film stars LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Micheal Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, James McAvoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
He discusses his vision for the film in the featurette, below:
The Book of Clarence opens in theaters on January 12.