‘The Book of Clarence’ Trailer: LaKeith Stanfield Looks to Be the Next Messiah in Biblical Epic

LaKeith Stanfield is ready to be a messiah in his next film. Sony Pictures released the trailer for The Book of Clarence, which is directed and written by Jeymes Samuel. The Biblical epic is set to be released exclusively in theatres on Jan. 12, 2024. 

As the synopsis states, 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.”

Stanfield stars in The Book of Clarence with Omar Sy, Anna Diop, RJ Cyler, David Oyelowo, Micheal Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch. Garrett Grant is an executive producer, the producers are Samuel James Lassiter Tendo Nagenda and Shawn Carter, who is better known as Jay-Z. 

During an interview with Deadline in May 2022, Samuel, who directed the Western film The Harder They Fall, announced his the next movie he will direct is The Book of Clarence. He explained why he wanted to direct a biblical epic, and it’s because the Bible is “the biggest franchise in the world.”

“The biggest superhero, the most famous superhero of all time is Jesus himself, Samuel said. “But when I used to learn about those things when I was a kid, I used to say to myself, “Where did Jesus buy his sandals from? Did he walk around barefoot? Did he buy his clothes or did people just say, “Hey Jesus, wear this?” Was there a particular brand that he liked, or a particular tailor who made his shawl? Where did Mary Magdalene get her hair done? They didn’t have any hair salons since the Cleopatra days. What currency did they spend? All that stuff the Bible doesn’t speak of fascinates me about the era. The Bible just gives you bricks. But the mortar you’re meant to fill in yourself.”

Stanfield, 32, worked with Samuel before as he starred in The Harder They Fall. This year, Stanfield starred in the Disney film Haunted Mansion with Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish and Danny DeVito. On the television side, Stanfield played Darius, in the Emmy Award-winning show Atlanta with Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and Donald Glover.