KingsOfKings
𝕄𝕒𝕕𝕝𝕚𝕓 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕒𝕥
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK
BY REBECCA FORD
AUGUST 28, 2023
About halfway through Jeymes Samuel’s 2021 revenge Western The Harder They Fall, the character Beckwourth (played by RJ Cyler) proclaims, “Like they say in the book of Clarence, ‘No man out-speed me.’”
Another character replies, “Out-speed ain’t a word, and Clarence ain’t a book.”
It’s true that Clarence is indeed not a book in the Bible. But for Samuel, the book of Clarence was very real, and this brief line of dialogue that went mostly unnoticed at the time was his way of telling the world that the book of Clarence would indeed come to exist.
The British filmmaker, who made his feature directorial debut with The Harder They Fall, already knew that his next film would be The Book of Clarence, an epic set in the biblical era following a man who attempts to become one of the Messiah’s apostles. “I wanted to tell a Bible story about an everyman,” Samuel tells Vanity Fair in his first interview about the film. “I always wanted to explore the Bible stories, but from the angle of the person that sells Jesus his sandals, the woman or man that owns the hair salon.”
The Book of Clarence, which Sony plans to release in theaters on January 12, features an all-star cast, led by LaKeith Stanfield in a demanding performance as Clarence and a supporting cast that includes Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, and Teyana Taylor. The ambitious tale pulls in classic biblical figures like Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and John the Baptist, but all with an unexpected twist. Like in The Harder They Fall, writer-director Samuel puts Black characters at the center of Clarence, exploding another classic Hollywood movie genre with a fresh take, full of humor and heart. “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,” says Jay-Z, who produced the film and credits Samuel with “finding fresh ways and perspectives to talk about these stories.”
Samuel’s follow-up — as seen in these exclusive images — is just as imaginative, full of witty dialogue and winking humor, plus fantastical moments that allow his protagonist to explore faith on many levels in what Samuel calls a relatable “journey of self-belief and world discovery.” He adds, “I think a lot of us have the issue of not only outside belief, but inside belief.”
in The Book of Clarence, Clarence is hustling to make ends meet, betting big on a chariot race he partakes in and dealing whatever they called hallucinogens back then. He’s impressed by the power and influence the 12 apostles have, and soon decides he wants to join their ranks, even though he doesn’t exactly believe Jesus is the Messiah.
“Clarence is a person that doesn’t believe in anything outside of what’s in front of him, what he can see and hear,” says Samuel. “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 Book of Clarence has some deep-cut references to biblical characters and storylines that even a moderately well-versed Christian might not be aware of. Samuel says he didn’t have to do much research on the actual Bible stories. “Just being Black, you grew up in a house where you go to church on Sundays,” he says. “I think, if you grow up in the hood, you are inundated with Bible studies.” He did, however, do research on the more miniscule aspects of everyday life during that time, like what sort of currency they used or where people would get their hair done.
As a producer, Jay-Z says he was most concerned that those who hear about the film and its premise might “immediately just focus on the religious aspect of it and not the human story,” he says. Though Clarence may be full of doubt about the Messiah in the beginning, he’s forced to find his faith as the story moves on. The film doesn’t make fun of religion or the biblical stories, but rather attempts to expand that world.
“My fear is that people don’t allow that arc to take place, and are immediately judging,” says Jay-Z. He notes he’s been on calls with studio execs where someone will accidentally call it a “faith-based movie,” but faith is only “a backdrop,” he says. “This story is about a young man who finds his faith through love and through wanting to become somebody in the world, which is the story of everybody. Everyone wants to find love and everyone wants to leave this place having accomplished something, having left their mark that they’ve been here and hopefully affected the world in a positive way.”
The Book of Clarence Is a Bombastic Journey Back to the Biblical Era
Exploring many aspects of faith, Jeymes Samuel’s upcoming film centers on a regular guy living in the same town as Jesus, with a knock-out performance by LaKeith Stanfield.BY REBECCA FORD
AUGUST 28, 2023
About halfway through Jeymes Samuel’s 2021 revenge Western The Harder They Fall, the character Beckwourth (played by RJ Cyler) proclaims, “Like they say in the book of Clarence, ‘No man out-speed me.’”
Another character replies, “Out-speed ain’t a word, and Clarence ain’t a book.”
It’s true that Clarence is indeed not a book in the Bible. But for Samuel, the book of Clarence was very real, and this brief line of dialogue that went mostly unnoticed at the time was his way of telling the world that the book of Clarence would indeed come to exist.
The British filmmaker, who made his feature directorial debut with The Harder They Fall, already knew that his next film would be The Book of Clarence, an epic set in the biblical era following a man who attempts to become one of the Messiah’s apostles. “I wanted to tell a Bible story about an everyman,” Samuel tells Vanity Fair in his first interview about the film. “I always wanted to explore the Bible stories, but from the angle of the person that sells Jesus his sandals, the woman or man that owns the hair salon.”
The Book of Clarence, which Sony plans to release in theaters on January 12, features an all-star cast, led by LaKeith Stanfield in a demanding performance as Clarence and a supporting cast that includes Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, and Teyana Taylor. The ambitious tale pulls in classic biblical figures like Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and John the Baptist, but all with an unexpected twist. Like in The Harder They Fall, writer-director Samuel puts Black characters at the center of Clarence, exploding another classic Hollywood movie genre with a fresh take, full of humor and heart. “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,” says Jay-Z, who produced the film and credits Samuel with “finding fresh ways and perspectives to talk about these stories.”
Samuel’s follow-up — as seen in these exclusive images — is just as imaginative, full of witty dialogue and winking humor, plus fantastical moments that allow his protagonist to explore faith on many levels in what Samuel calls a relatable “journey of self-belief and world discovery.” He adds, “I think a lot of us have the issue of not only outside belief, but inside belief.”
in The Book of Clarence, Clarence is hustling to make ends meet, betting big on a chariot race he partakes in and dealing whatever they called hallucinogens back then. He’s impressed by the power and influence the 12 apostles have, and soon decides he wants to join their ranks, even though he doesn’t exactly believe Jesus is the Messiah.
“Clarence is a person that doesn’t believe in anything outside of what’s in front of him, what he can see and hear,” says Samuel. “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 Book of Clarence has some deep-cut references to biblical characters and storylines that even a moderately well-versed Christian might not be aware of. Samuel says he didn’t have to do much research on the actual Bible stories. “Just being Black, you grew up in a house where you go to church on Sundays,” he says. “I think, if you grow up in the hood, you are inundated with Bible studies.” He did, however, do research on the more miniscule aspects of everyday life during that time, like what sort of currency they used or where people would get their hair done.
As a producer, Jay-Z says he was most concerned that those who hear about the film and its premise might “immediately just focus on the religious aspect of it and not the human story,” he says. Though Clarence may be full of doubt about the Messiah in the beginning, he’s forced to find his faith as the story moves on. The film doesn’t make fun of religion or the biblical stories, but rather attempts to expand that world.
“My fear is that people don’t allow that arc to take place, and are immediately judging,” says Jay-Z. He notes he’s been on calls with studio execs where someone will accidentally call it a “faith-based movie,” but faith is only “a backdrop,” he says. “This story is about a young man who finds his faith through love and through wanting to become somebody in the world, which is the story of everybody. Everyone wants to find love and everyone wants to leave this place having accomplished something, having left their mark that they’ve been here and hopefully affected the world in a positive way.”
