Imaginably, I would have thought director Tim Story’s follow-up from John Singleton’s 2000 continuation of the Shaft franchise would be a bit darker than what’s presented in the first official trailer. Usual comedy aside, what we get here seems a bit extra and feels more like a fish-out-of-water crime romp written by someone trying to grow from their previous workdesk at Disney.
It’s been more than forty years since actor Richard Roundtree made blaxploitation history in the 1971 film, Shaft, centered on a badass New York detective who infiltrates the city’s criminal underworld to help free a mob boss’s daughter. Directed by Gordon Parks, the film’s success spawned two more films while briefly extending its reign to television, accompanied by the award-winning sounds of Isaac Hayes’s chart-topping signature theme song for the franchise at the time. The film also succeed into a non-linear pseudo-remake in 2000 with actor Samuel L. Jackson starring, in which Roundtree himself made a cameo.
So now what? Well, the word from The Wrap is that a reboot is now underway with Davis Entertainment’s John Davis (Predator, Predators, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) producing for New Line. There’s no word yet on how the studio will plan to reboot the new movie whether through its 70’s or a more contemporary take like John Singleton fifteen years ago. In my opinion, a seventies setting would look real awesome and fitting for a proper reboot of such a classic with the right director and crew on board. As for who could star in the title role, there are quite a few who come to mind. I’d name names but, you guys have the floor.
QUESTION: Which names would you like considered to take the role as Shaft in the new film? Comment below or on our Facebook page!
H/T: The Wrap
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