LaKeith Stanfield & More Shine At ‘The Book Of Clarence’ Event

Turn with us to The Book Of Clarence

Source: Derek White/Getty Images

Atlanta tastemakers and move makers came from far and wide to experience The Book Of Clarence at a special screening event with surprise appearances by LaKeith Stanfield, John Boyega, and Writer/Director Jeymes Samuel ahead of the film’s release next month.

Source: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Sony Pictures

Source: Derek White/Getty Images

Source: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Sony Pictures

Hosted by our very own Sr. Content Director of Pop Culture Janeé Bolden, the exclusive affair was an electric celebration of 2024’s first big film that’s already fueling discussions across social media.

Source: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Sony Pictures

In The Book of Clarence, a down-on-his-luck everyman named 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,” per the official synopsis.

Check out the trailer below:

Directed by Oscar-buzzy filmmaker Jeymes Samuel, the multi-layered film also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Omar Sy, and David Oyelowo with new music by JAY-Z, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, and more.

“As a storyteller, I wanna give audiences something they’ve never seen before,” said Samuel in a statement released alongside the teaser trailer.

“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!

The Book of Clarence opens in theaters Jan. 12, 2024.