Deadline is reporting that Sony has tapped September 22 for the release date of Jeymes Samuel’s biblical epic, The Book of Clarence. Samuel had recently made The Harder They Fall and will be tackling religious themes in his new film. The movie sports an impressive ensemble of actors, which include LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Anna Diop, Teyana Taylor, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Additionally, the cast also includes Caleb McLaughlin, Babs Olusanmokun, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Nicholas Pinnock, Micheal Ward, Chase Dillon, Tom Glynn-Carney, and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.
Although the film will deal with the subject of religion, Deadline reports that movie isn’t faith-based. The synopsis reads, “Inspired by classic Hollywood epics set in biblical times, Legendary’s The Book of Clarence tells the tale of Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield), a down-on-his-luck denizen of Jerusalem embarking on a misguided attempt to capitalize on the rise of celebrity and influence of the Messiah for his own personal gain. It’s a journey that leads him on an exploration of the idea of faith and to an unexpected path of his own.”
The film will be distributed by Sony Pictures, who enjoyed the humble success of their last adult-oriented drama, The Woman King, last year. That film would open with an opening weekend of $19 million and grossed over $150 million globally. Samuel’s The Harder They Fall was a Netflix original and had won him the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Director. Samuel is also a British singer/songwriter whose stage name is The Bullitts and has worked with another eccentric filmmaker, Elvis‘ Baz Luhrmann, as an executive music consultant for The Great Gatsby. Prior to The Harder They Fall, he had made a short western titled, They Die by Dawn, which starred Rosario Dawson, Michael K. Williams, Erykah Badu, and Jesse Williams.
Samuel will be producing the film along with James Lassiter, Tendo Nagenda, and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. Garrett Grant is on board as an executive producer.
The Book of Clarence will see its release opposite films like The Expendables 4, an untitled DC film from Warner Bros, and Searchlight’s Next Goal Wins, directed by Taika Waititi.