“I wanted to tell a story about the environment that I grew up in but based in the biblical era and merge the two,” Jeymes Samuel told Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye of the idea behind his latest pic, The Book of Clarence at London Contenders.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, LaKeith Stanfield, and David Oyelowo, The Book of Clarence tells the story of Stanfield’s streetwise but down-on-his-luck Clarence who 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 path to divine life and ultimately discovers that the redemptive power of belief may be his only way out.
The film’s cast is rounded out by Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, James McAvoy, Anna Diop, Teyana Taylor, Alfre Woodard, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Caleb McLaughlin, Babs Olusanmokun, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Nicholas Pinnock, Micheal Ward, Chase Dillon, Tom Glynn-Carney and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.
Speaking about his sprawling ensemble, Samuels said he’d been allowed the opportunity to “take all these great English actors that I love and all these great American actors, and every day on set was a joy.”
He added: “You can imagine what my sets are like. I like playing music all the time. A speaker follows me around and I blast music to high heaven.”
Speaking directly about Sy, Samuels praised the French actor, best known for his leading role in Netflix’s Lupin, telling the London Contenders audience that Sy possessed what he described as “Je ne sais quoi,” referencing the French term for something that possess indescribably positive qualities.
“I don’t even know what that means, but when you see Omar, he has that Je ne sais quoi,” Samuels said.
Samuels — also a musician — wrote, composed, and produced all of the music performed in the film.
“Every song featuring Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. I composed all the music, so it’s like a portal into my brain,” Samuels said.
When asked whether the audience members could safely take their mothers or any other religious family members to see the film, Samuels quickly responded: “There’s no blasphemy, I promise.”
“150 years of images and you’ve never seen people who look like this in this era. Having this amount of fun. Welcome to the era of James Samuel,” he said.
The Book of Clarence is a Tristar/Legendary pic. Samuels produces alongside James Lassiter, Tendo Nagenda, and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. Garrett Grant is serving as executive producer. The film hits theaters on January 12, 2024 .
