Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree are back in the first trailer for Shaft

(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

published 7 February 2019

Get ready for three Shafts for the price of one.

Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first trailer for Shaft, the new revival of the action franchise that began in 1971 and originally starred Richard Roundtree as the lead detective, John Shaft. Director John Singleton revived the franchise in 2000 with Shaft, in which Samuel L. Jackson played Shaft's nephew, John Shaft II, with Roundtree reprising his original role.

Now, Jackson and Roundtree are both back nearly 20 years later in this sequel, which introduces another member of the family: Jessie Usher as John 'JJ' Shaft Jr., the son of Jackson's character. So yes, that's not one, not two, but three different Shafts teaming up to crack a case together in this film, which was originally titled Son of Shaft but is now, confusingly, just called Shaft, the same as the original movie, the TV series, and the 2000 film.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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