First Photo From The New SHAFT Film Features Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Roundtree, and Jessie T. Usher
There’s a new Shaft film coming from director Tim Story (Fantastic Four), and thanks to EW, we have our first official look at the Shaft family coming together.
Here we see legendary original Shaft actor Richard Roundtree from the 1970s films; Samuel L. Jackson, who played his nephew. John Shaft II, in the 2000 film; and then there's Jessie T. Usher, who is the newest addition to the Shaft family. He is the estranged son of Jackson's character and a cybersecurity expert. They are joined by Alexandra Shipp.
This is the synopsis that was released for the film:
Shaft is the next chapter in the film franchise featuring the coolest private eye on any New York City block. JJ, aka John Shaft Jr. (Usher), may be a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s untimely death, he needs an education only his dad can provide. Absent throughout JJ’s youth, the legendary locked-and-loaded John Shaft (Jackson) agrees to help his progeny navigate Harlem’s heroin-infested underbelly. And while JJ’s own FBI analyst’s badge may clash with his dad’s trademark leather coat, there’s no denying family. Besides, Shaft’s got an agenda of his own, and a score to settle that’s professional and personal.
When talking about John Shaft Jr., Jackson says, “He joins the FBI, which is sort of anti-Shaft family values. So when he comes to me for help, it’s a matter of reshaping him.” He goes on to talk about how his character has changed over the years, saying:
“He’s mellowed a bit. He’s not quite as crazy and cynical. Maybe a bit more devil-may-care the last time we saw him. But still an extremely dangerous and funny character.”
While some of the members of the Shaft family have their differences, there are certain traits that they all have in common:
“He’s always that tough but fair, well-dressed cynical guy with the right one-liner. All of those things work to make somebody cool across the generations. It’s enduring. We don’t have a lot of heroes, so the ones we have, we hold on to.”
The other thing that they all have in common is an “eternally cool sense of style.” Jackson says, “Great clothes. Always great leather.”
Shaft will be released at some point in 2019.