Sony has revealed a release date for The Book of Clarence, Legendary Pictures' star-studded film set in biblical times from director Jeymes Samuel. It has been announced that the film will be released on Sept. 22, 2023.
According to a summary from Sony, The Book of Clarence will tell 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 — a journey that leads him on an exploration of the idea of faith and to a highly unexpected path of his own. The film will be inspired by the biblical epics of old Hollywood, but will reportedly not be a religious-based project.
Stanfield, known for his roles in the 2017 film Get Out and FX's smash-hit series Atlanta, will be joined in the film by an ensemble cast of A-list co-stars. This includes Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Anna Diop, Teyana Taylor, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, and Marianne Jean Baptiste. Additional cast members include Caleb McLaughlin, Babs Olusanmokun, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Nicholas Pinnock, Micheal Ward, Chase Dillon, Tom Glynn-Carney, and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.
Samuel is coming off his 2021 directorial debut, the Western film The Harder They Fall, which earned him a BAFTA Award and also starred Stanfield along with Idris Elba and Jonathan Majors. The multi-hyphenate Samuel is also a notable musician, and composed the soundtracks for The Harder They Fall as well as Baz Luhrmann's 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby. In addition to directing, Samuel also wrote the screenplay for The Book of Clarence and will be producing for Legendary alongside James Lassiter, Tendo Nagenda, and rapper Jay-Z. Garrett Grant serves as an executive producer. Sony is releasing the film through its ongoing deal with Legendary.
Samuel first announced The Book of Clarence in May 2022, with production slated to start later that year. Stanfield and Sy were announced to topline the film in October 2022, with McAvoy, Cumberbatch, Woodward, Oyelowo, and more boarding soon after. The Book of Clarence will release on the same day as a number of other high-profile films, including Lionsgate's tentpole The Expendables 4 and the Taika Waititi-directed film Next Goal Wins. Warner Bros. is also reportedly slated to release a DC film on that day, though details remain unclear.
The Book of Clarence will be released in theaters on Sept. 22, 2023. Collider's interview with Samuel about The Harder They Fall can be seen below: