Review Shaft (2019)

Doctor Omega

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John Shaft Jr., a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, enlists his father's help to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death.



 
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
The “Shaft” Reboot To Be More Comedic


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Filmmaker Tim Story (“Ride Along,” 2005’s “Fantastic Four”) popped up at Showtime’s Television Critics Association party this week due to his involvement in Jay Pharoah’s new series “White Famous”.

Whilst there, he spoke with Slashfilm about how his planned remake of “Shaft” is progressing. Story signed on to the project back in January and confirms that his take on the material isn’t a serious drama (ala the John Singleton-directed, Samuel L. Jackson-led 2000 version), rather it’s more comedic:

“My Shaft movie is going to be definitely not straight action. We’re going action-comedy or comedy-action, I’m not exactly sure which one comes first. We’re going to definitely make sure the stakes in the world are real, and then you’ve got these characters who are dealing with kind of a father/son situation, we’re going to see them put a family back together.”

Story adds that his script includes a powerful female character, namely the mother to his son who can hold her own against the character. No production or release date for the new “Shaft” is set as yet.

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There’s still no word on who will have the honor of donning the leather duster of smooth-talking P.I. John Shaft for a new generation of moviegoers, but we do know which filmmaker has been entrusted with bring the black cultural icon back to the big screen. Deadline reports that Tim Story has been picked from a pool of potential directors willing to have the fruit of massive amounts of work compared unflatteringly to Gordon Parks’ 1971 classic of cinema.

The 46-year-old L.A. native has been directing films for 20 years now, with some of his most famous and successful being Barbershop and the Ride Along series. (Some of his lesser efforts involved Jessica Alba sharing scenes with a sentient rock.) He’ll be shooting from a script by Kenya Barris (Black-ish) and Alex Barnow (The Goldbergs). While the plot has not yet been revealed, we do know that it will involve the son of the titular character originated by Richard Roundtree.
 
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Usher, Jackson, Roundtree Set For “Shaft”

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Jessie T. Usher (“Independence Day: Resurgence”) has signed on to star in “Son of Shaft” for New Line Cinema.

The project will mark a “Shaft” family reunion as both Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree are in negotiations to return, reprising their roles from the previous films.

Roundtree played the original John Shaft in the 1970s films, while Jackson led the 2000 “Shaft” film as Roundtree’s character’s nephew who was also named John Shaft. Roundtree had a cameo in that film too.

Now Usher will play the estranged son of Jackson’s John Shaft. In the film, he’s an FBI agent and cyber expert who is forced to team up with his old school father.

Tim Story (“Ride Along”) will direct the film from a script by Kenya Barris.
 

Doctor Omega

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Plot Summary:

New Line Cinema has acquired the rights to the "Shaft" franchise and is developing a reboot. As in the 2000 reboot where Samuel L. Jackson played the legendary detective’s nephew, the new one will reportedly be a loose sequel and focus on the son of John Shaft. It will be set in New York City. - Jessie T. Usher will star as the estranged son of the detective in the film, in which he’s forced to team up with his father. As an FBI agent and cyber expert, the young and old Shafts will butt heads throughout the new film..

Samuel L. Jackson is in talks to return for the film, and original John Shaft, Richard Roundtree is also in talks to return.
 

Doctor Omega

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Netflix To Globally Release The New “Shaft”


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Netflix is partnering with New Line Cinema on the new “Shaft” film previously titled “Son of Shaft”.

Netflix will reportedly pay for half the film’s $30 million budget in exchange for rights to distribute the film to its overseas streaming platforms two weeks after the film’s traditional U.S. theatrical debut.

The U.S. release will go through the standard minimum theatrical 90-day window before hitting SVOD and Blu-ray/DVD and U.S. Netflix.

Jessie T. Usher (“Independence Day: Resurgence”) will play the estranged son of Samuel L. Jackson’s John Shaft from the 2000 “Shaft” film. The younger Shaft is an FBI agent and cyber expert who is forced to team up with his old school father.

Richard Roundtree played the original John Shaft in the 1970s films and the uncle of Jackson’s character in the 2000 film. He’ll return here.

Tim Story (“Ride Along”) will direct the film from a script by Kenya Barris. Filming begins in December.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Shaft
Avan Jogia (“Victorious,” “Paper Year”) has joined the cast of the “Shaft” reboot at New Line, joining a cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher, Regina Hall, Alexandra Shipp and Richard Roundtree. Tim Story will direct a script from Kenya Barris and Alex Barnow.
Usher plays a nerdy FBI agent (Usher) launches his own investigation after his friend dies under suspicious circumstances. Needing help with the case, he reluctantly enlists the help from his estranged father – the legendary, stuck-in-the-80s-but-still-cool-as-hell titular John Shaft (Jackson). The film opens June 14th 2019.
 

Doctor Omega

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Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith has joined the cast of the “Shaft” sequel/refresh at New Line. Smith will play an old friend of John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) from the neighborhood.

Jackson reprises the role he first played in the John Singleton-directed 2000 film with Jessie T. Usher playing his estranged son. Regina Hall, Alexandra Shipp and the original ‘Shaft’ Richard Roundtree also star in the film which opens June 14th 2019.
 

Doctor Omega

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First Photo: Three Generations Of “Shaft”


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A new photo has been released of all three generations of the Shaft family in Netflix and Paramount’s “Son of Shaft” feature.

Jessie T. Usher, Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree can be seen not only in character but in matching outfits for the first official publicity still from the movie which was released via the social media account of fashion designer Aleks Musika.

Tim Story helms the film and shooting kicked off earlier this month ahead of a Summer 2019 release.
 

Doctor Omega

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Speaking with EW, who posted the first photo from the film this morning, Jackson says his Shaft has: “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.”

Tim Story helms the new film which opens in cinemas on June 14th.
 

Doctor Omega

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Jackson Toned Down New “Shaft” Laughs


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Samuel L. Jackson is reprising his role of Nick Fury in this weekend’s “Captain Marvel,” but the actor will soon be returning to his role of another character from a very different franchise – “Shaft”.


Tim Story helms the new “Shaft” film which serves as a follow-up to both the original Richard Roundtree-led 1970s films, and the John Singleton-directed 2000 sequel which starred Jackson as Roundree’s character’s nephew. In the new one, Jessie Usher plays the son of Jackson’s Shaft.

Jackson is the only one from the 2000 film – which also starred Christian Bale, Jeffrey Wright and Toni Collette – returning for this and speaking with The Playlist, he confirmed it will be set in the same universe as that film:

“Yeah, we do know. Those events have already occurred. So, this is another time. It’s, as time has moved on to this particular place. I had that kid, yes. But I had that kid in another time and space of the first movie. And, she’s left me, and now the kid is back.

In fact, in the first movie, I kept trying to find out, when do I get to be a sex machine with all the ladies? And, they were like, ‘Don’t worry, we got you.’ And I’m like, ‘No, you don’t. It’s not happening. Where is it?’ I guess, somewhere offscreen, I was a sex machine [at least once]. And [Regina Hall] had my baby.”

Jackson also says when he got the first script from “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris for this take on “Shaft,” he found it “a little too funny” and got them to pull back a bit on the humor:

“I had to convince them, number one, that there’s a level of mythology and respect that goes along with the John Shaft character, that you can’t make him a buffoon of any sort,” Jackson says. “He can be funny, and he can be righteous because he’s aging and times have changed.

So he can be a little bit of an anachronism, in that respect. Maybe he’s not as wily with his online skills and all that other stuff. But, you have Richard being from the generation he’s from, me being from the generation I’m from, and now you got this new kid who’s a millennial, who’s all digital and not street. Raised in private schools and all this other stuff. So, we gotta teach him how to be a Shaft.”

“Shaft” opens nationwide in the U.S. on June 14th before going out everywhere else on Netflix on June 28th.
 
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