SHAFT summer preview

STARRING SAMUEL L. JACKSON, VANESSA WILLIAMS, JEFFREY WRIGHT, CHRISTIAN BALE DIRECTED BY JOHN SINGLETON

BUZZ-O-METER 7

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? We’re talkin’ ’bout Shaft! He’s a bad mothaf— shut yo’ mouth!

When Jackson heard that Boyz N The Hood director Singleton was updating (not remaking) the 1971 blaxploitation classic, he assumed action vet Wesley Snipes would play the part. ”And when it came to me,” he says, ”I thought ‘This could be interesting, or it could be a catastrophe.”’ Specifically, Singleton and Jackson didn’t want to dis Richard Roundtree, the original Shaft. Solution: Roundtree is back as Shaft, 29 years older. Says Jackson: ”So it turns out that he’s still the black private dick who’s a sex machine with all the chicks — and I’m his nephew.” Ironically, Jackson says he and Singleton had to persuade their prudish producers to actually include some demonstrations of said sexual prowess. ”We were like, ‘What part of that song do you not understand?”’ Speaking of the song, the director quickly reenlisted Isaac Hayes, who won an Oscar for his original theme song and will record a new version for this film. Singleton saw the original Shaft when he was a kid as part of a double bill with Bruce Lee’s The Chinese Connection; it’s been a dream project of his since Boyz. ”It was just really cool to see a black hero,” says Singleton. ”He was just a badass dude, you know, talking s— and kicking ass.” Does Jackson make for a good Shaft? ”Oh, yeah,” says Singleton. ”Sam’s best movies are when he’s talking s—, and this is definitely a s—-talking movie.” (June 16)