Netflix has made another blockbuster deal that could shake up the industry. That's not surprising since they seem to be making these kinds of deals every week. What is surprising is that it has to do with the new Shaft film. They've struck a deal with New Line to co-finance the film, paying half of its $30M budget in order to gain some very interesting distribution rights. Here's how Deadline sums it up:
"Sources say that New Line and Netflix are nearly closed on the untitled Shaft reboot. Netflix will pay more than half the film’s high $30 million budget, in exchange for international rights and the ability to put the film on its streaming outside the U.S. two weeks after New Line releases theatrically in the United States. The film will begin production in December."
Okay, so the film will still get a theatrical run, which most Netflix movies don't, and they also get to basically do what they want with it overseas, where most black movies don't get much distribution. This deal changes that completely. And stateside the film will follow a typical release schedule with 90-days before a VOD, Bluray/DVD, and Netflix release. We could see a lot of these mid-budgeted movies take a similar route as long as Netflix keeps throwing money around. And you know that release window is going to keep shrinking, too. It also means the film is going to be bigger than it would have been if strictly financed by New Line.
Formerly titled Son of Shaft but thankfully untitled now, the Tim Story-directed reboot will have Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as John Shaft from John Singleton's 2000 film. Jessie T. Usher (Independence Day: Resurgence) will play his estranged tech-savvy son, an FBI agent who butts heads with his Dad over a case they're working. And Richard Roundtree will be back as the O.G. John Shaft, the "shut yo mouth" badass detective from the 1971 classic.
