There have been countless movies about Jesus of Nazareth, and even more films that parody his life and celebrity, and now director Jeymes Samuel is doing his own spin on the Jesus story by having a con-man pretend to be the new Messiah.
Watch the trailer for The Book of Clarence starring LaKeith Stanfield:
The description 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 has actually gathered a star-studded cast. Besides Stanfield, the movie has also cast Benedict Cumberbatch, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Anna Diop, Alfre Woodard, David Oyelowo, Teyana Taylor, and James McAvoy.
Talking to Vanity Fair, director Samuel described the film, “I wanted to tell a Bible story about an everyman… 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.”
It’s kind of unclear what tone the movie really is going for. The premise does sound like a comedy, but there could be some serious message there about messiahs and class struggle. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see when he movie comes out to see what’s up.
The Book of Clarence releases in theaters on Jan. 12, 2024.
