Jeymes Samuel Shares Inspiration Behind ‘The Book Of Clarence,’ His Feature Film About A Fraud Turned Faithful

Bossip
Video

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.