As good as he looks with a shiny bald head, Jackson is looking to take on a hairdo that would make Don King jealous when he steps into the shoes of comic book demi-hero Afro Samurai (imagine a mix between Samurai Jack and Shaft). According to Variety, Jackson is signed to produce and star in a live action version of the comic book story.
Jackson is no stranger to Afro Samurai. In fact, he's declared legendary on the Afrosamurai web site (shhh...don't tell Lauren Bacall). Last year he signed on to voice the character in a planned animated series based on the character. Now he's collaborating with Afrosamurai creator Takashi ‘Bob’ Okazaki to simultaneously bring the show to the big screen and the US for the first time(Okazaki is purportedly still working on a US format graphic novel for the character).
So, what will Afrosamurai be about? According to the website: "The tale of Afro Samurai is one of bloody hardship and pain. Along his solitary path of revenge for his murdered father, he sheds no tears and knows no love. Forever chased by powerful enemies in a lawless technology-speckled dystopia, he evades bullets and blade to reach his final prey: a man who will not die. But Afro will reach his quarry - even if it means painting a road of blood and brains from here to the bitter inevitable end.". Yeah, it's the same darn story as a lot of other anime/manga entries, but this time is has Sammy J!
The film is slated to film in 2006 and release sometime the next year.
