Around this time last year we first started to hear about New Line's attempt to reboot the king of all black heroes, Shaft. While I don't think anybody remembers the 200 film with Samuel L. Jackson fondly, there wasn't a lot of demand to see it tried again. And maybe that's why this attempt is going to be something different, and we're getting confirmation of just how different with the hiring of Tim Story as director.
Deadline has the news, and what it tells us is that this version of Shaft is probably going to be a comedy. That's always been Story's thing, whether it's the Barbershop movies, Think Like A Man, or Ride Along. Even when he went the superhero route directing both early Fantastic Four movies they were pretty light in tone. Add in that Kenya Barris (Black-ish) and Alex Barnow (The Goldbergs) are writing the script and you have the makings of a Shaft who is less cool, more fool.
But we shall see what happens. Best case scenario it turns out like Black Dynamite; worst case and it's Pootie Tang. Neither would remind me very much of John Shaft, though, so why not just play the character straight?
