First poster for Shaft promises more you know what than you can handle

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

There have been three films going by the title of SHAFT over the decades; 1971's SHAFT starring Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, 2000's SHAFT starring Samuel L. Jackson as John Shaft II, nephew of John Shaft, and 2019's SHAFT, which stars Jessie Usher as John Shaft Jr., son of John Shaft II. Phew. Tomorrow will see the release of the first trailer for the Tim Story directed sequel/reboot, but in the meantime, Warner Bros. have released a new poster which promies more Shaft than we can handle. Indeed.

John Shaft Jr. (Usher) hasn't exactly been on good terms with his father after choosing to join the FBI, which Samuel L. Jackson says is "sort of anti-Shaft family values," but he will undergo a little "reshaping" when he's forced to team up his elders. As for how the decades have changed Samuel L. Jackson's Shaft, the actor says that "he's 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." Jackson also says that there are certain traits, in addition to the "great clothes," which all three Shaft men have in common. "He’s always that tough but fair, well-dressed cynical guy with the right one-liner" Jackson said. "All of those things work to make somebody cool across the generations. It’s enduring. We don’t have a lot of heroes, so the ones we have, we hold on to."

The official synopsis for SHAFT:

“Shaft” is the next chapter in the film franchise featuring the coolest private eye on any New York City block. JJ, aka John Shaft Jr. (Usher), 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 (Jackson) 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.

SHAFT will hit theaters on June 14, 2019.