Kanye releases ‘Jesus Is King’ IMAX film trailer
The album’s visual hits select theaters next week.
Kanye West has released brief trailer for his upcoming IMAX film, Jesus Is King. The Chicago rapper has been hosting one-off screenings for the film over the past month, which is set to debut in select IMAX theaters around the U.S. on Oct. 25.
The minute-long clip reveals a visual of James Turrell’s Roden Crater, which is where the movie was filmed, backed by a gospel rendition of “Say You Will” with new lyrics. The trailer ends with a biblical quote from the New Testament Book of Mark.
Directed by Nick Knight, Jesus Is King will serve as the visual accompaniment to Kanye’s forthcoming album of the same name, which was originally set to drop Sept. 27 and has faced numerous setbacks.
Kanye previewed his Jesus Is King film during his “Jesus Is King” event held last month in New York City. The preview revealed that the film will document his Sunday Services, along with shots of nature and a gospel choirs.
“I wasn’t fully saved during Coachella,” he told the crowd, referring to his Sunday Service performance at the festival. “I came to know the truth and joy of Jesus. This album is an expression of the gospel.”
Kanye also sold merchandise with the below artwork at the event, which has since been widely speculated to be the Jesus Is King cover art.
Kanye’s pastor, Adam Tyson, spoke on faith-based podcast “Pure Flix,” detailing how Kanye is a born-again Christian and has been “radically saved.”
“We talked the first time [for] about three hours. And I spent about three hours just going through the gospel, make sure he understood clearly about the atonement of Jesus Christ, that God is holy, that we are sinners, that Christ came to die in the place of sinners, that by repenting and believing in Him, we could have eternal life,” he said on the show.
Tyson also revealed he’s had an influence over Jesus Is King and that Kanye doesn’t swear anymore.
“Where I’ll hear a song in the studio, and I’m like, ‘Hey, man, I’m not sure what you’re trying to say right here. This to me is a little fuzzy. What are you trying to say?’” Tyson said. “If somebody cusses in [Kanye’s] presence, I’ve heard him say a couple of times, ‘Hey, man, you can’t cuss when you’re with me. I’m a born-again Christian.’”
Watch the trailer for Kanye’s Jesus Is King IMAX film below, arriving in theaters next week.