If you haven’t seen the trailer yet for The Book of Clarence yet, we’re super excited to be the ones to share it with you.
Source: Kate Green / Getty
Go Behind-The-Scenes With ‘The Book Of Clarence’ Director Jeymes Samuel
The Harder They Fall filmmaker Jeymes Samuel opened up about his inspiration for The Book of Clarence in a statement released alongside the trailer today.
Here’s what the writer/director had to say:
As a storyteller, I wanna give audiences something they’ve never seen before. I want to deepen our understanding of the historical context that has helped shape our beliefs. And as an entertainer, I wanna show you a wickedly dope time where those three points intersect, is The Book of Clarence, a cinematic extravaganza, 2000 years in the making. The idea for The Book of Clarence came out of my admiration for Hollywood epics set in biblical times and truly, I love them all. Movies like Ben Hur and Spartacus unearth something of daily life in that era, that were ground level and all the richer for it. After all, the Bible gives you broad strokes, those are the bricks. The mortar that holds it all together is our faith. But what of the stories that exist within the cracks of that mortar? What of the everyday nonfictional lives that crisscross with biblical history as a backdrop? What of the hairdressers, and the village cobblers and the charlatans, and the guy that made Jesus’ sandals? All of those people, what of them? The people that walked the very same earth as Jesus Christ. The Book of Clarence is that story. It’s a story about a man’s journey of self discovery. Clarence was a dreamer, but he isn’t necessarily an executor of those dreams. He can do anything, but he doesn’t see within himself that he can. He doesn’t know his own power. He’s a man without faith who discovers that with God at his back, he too can walk on water and my sincerest hope is that you see this film and conclude that while our dreams may seem out of reach, they are not dreams at all. They are your ambitions, your plans, and your intentions, and they’re quite tangible and real. Enjoy and have a wickedly dope time!
We actually think the trailer is SO much better after watching the behind the scenes shots.
Here’s a synopsis of the film:
The Book of Clarence is a bold new take on the timeless Hollywood era Biblical epic. Streetwise but struggling, Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) is trying to find a better life for himself and his family, make himself worthy to the woman he loves, and prove that he’s not a nobody. 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, a journey through which he finds redemption and faith, power and knowledge.
Watch the trailer below:
We’re so excited for this, there were so many little moments that caught our eye. We loved Teyana Taylor in the opening shot — and what about David Oyelowo’s character baptizing Clarence (Lakeith). Also James McAvoy seems primed to be quite the villain in this one.
Source: Courtesy / Sony Pictures
Something else to get excited about is the new music that will be coming as a result of this movie. The Book of Clarence Official Soundtrack features new music by Jeymes Samuel, JAY-Z, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi and more to be revealed. The song that’s playing along with the trailer is Samuel’s own, ‘Hallelujah Heaven’ which features Lil Wayne, Buju Banton and Shabba Ranks.
Do you like it? We saw some clueless critics in the comments on YouTube complaining. We love it though.
