‘Son of Shaft’ to Unite Three Generations of the Blaxploitation Legend on Screen

The last time we saw John Shaft on screen, he was played by Samuel L. Jackson in the hugely underrated 2000 reboot directed by John Singleton. That film established Jackson's Shaft as the nephew of Richard Roundtree's John Shaft, who headlined three films and seven made for television adventures in the 70s. And since everything old is new again, another reboot is on the horizon, featuring a new Shaft that will fight alongside both of the other incarnations of the character.

According to Deadline, Barbershop director Tim Story is going to be bringing the legend back to life with Son of Shaft, starring Jessie T. Usher as the title character. You may know Usher best for playing Will Smith's son in Independence Day: Resurgence, though that film's failure to connect with audiences means this will likely serve as his big breakthrough role. Both Jackson and Roundtree are also in talks to appear in the film, bringing three generations of the blaxploitation legend together for the first time.

The script for the film is being written by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and will focus on Usher's character, who is "the son of the detective, who, after long being estranged from his father, finds himself teamed up with him. The young man is an FBI agent, a cyber expert, and the partnership with dad is an uneasy collision of old school meets new school." Shockingly, no release date has been set as of now, but we'll keep you up to date with the latest info as it comes in.