On June 14, the newest addition to the era of reboots and revivals will secure its place in American theaters. “Shaft,” a cultural phenomenon of the 1970s, is coming back under the direction of comedy-action auteur Tim Story (“Taxi,” “Fantastic Four”). Kenya Barris, the creator of “Black-ish” and co-writer of “Girls Trip,“ wrote the script.
The newest iteration of “Shaft” is a sequel to the 2000 film, of the same name, featuring Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree, which itself was based on the original film, with the same name, from 1971. This time, Jackson and Roundtree will reprise their roles as John Shaft II and John Shaft, respectively. So too will the current generation of moviegoers will meet the next descendant of the gunslinging, leather-wearing family: John “JJ” Shaft, Jr (Jessie Usher), an FBI agent with a troubling mystery on his hands.
READ MORE: Samuel L. Jackson Says First New ‘Shaft’ Script Was ‘A Little Too Funny’
One thing that is sure to set apart this iteration of “Shaft” from the previous versions is the apparent hatred of Millennials. The opening scene from the trailer, combined with the recent promotional images released on social media, paint a picture of a film that finds humor in the fact that the elder Shaft is not as PC and woke as his son, who cringes at the use of the N-word.
Though the original “Shaft” was commended for expanding representation, its reliance on tokenization and racist stereotypes entered it into the canon of ‘Blaxploitation.’ It awaits to be seen how the next “Shaft” will take on its particular history of racial representation, especially considering it’s apparent politically incorrect marketing.
“Shaft” hits theaters on June 14.
Here’s the synopsis:
JJ, aka John Shaft Jr., 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 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.
