How many times can you reboot a franchise? Without a solid equation to determine the likelihood of success for a recycled slice of creative content, the waves of reboots, remakes and re-calibrations will continue to dominate popular media. Luckily, some of those choices involve fan favorite titles such as Shaft, which has been ushered onto New Line Cinema’s development slate.
Currently in the early stages, the movie has only just made itself at home with the studio, who recently procured the rights and have now assigned Predator producer John Davis to work on the feature.
Per The Wrap, the studio’s decision to keep up Shaft’s lineage is as yet unknown; NYPD Detective, John Shaft, played by Samuel L. Jackson in the 2000 film was the nephew of the character in the 1971 flick. So, it’s not known whether or not the movie will serve as a continuation of that formula, or spin off into an entirely new direction. One thing’s for certain: the studio are keen to cast a brand new actor to play the lead.
Judging by the talent involved, this reworked concept couldn’t be in safer hands. Davis’ previous experience adapting pre-existing material into modern movies has seen him devote a sizeable chunk of his resume to remakes such as the 2010 Predators, and upcoming titles such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Victor Frankenstein. Likewise, New Line have seen a resurgence in their horror division, making a success of rebooting A Nightmare On Elm Street and Friday The 13th.
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