Following in the footsteps of one’s own family is intimidating enough. You’re not sure if you’re going to live up to the family name, and if that particular relative is around to see the process, it could be a real pain. But to do so when that family member is played by Samuel L. Jackson, much like Jessie T. Usher does in the new Shaft reboot, is another level of terrifying if you’re not prepared.
But Jessie T. Usher was more than prepared to take on the role of J.J, John Shaft II’s estranged son, who enlists his father’s skills as a private investigator to help him solve a murder close to home. And with that experience under his belt, Jessie T. Usher feels he’s ready to follow another Samuel L. Jackson act, as a son looking for vengeance after the murder of Star Wars’s Mace Windu.
Jessie T. Usher admitted this to CinemaBlend during the recent press day for Shaft, as the question of which other Jackson role he’d like to also play the son was asked. After some careful consideration, and consulting with Samuel L. Jackson about the character’s name, he made the choice in these terms:
I’d be Mace’s son. Let me be a Jedi. I would do that, to come back and avenge his father, because I mean he died in a terrible way.
Last seen in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Master Mace Windu was “killed off” in quite possibly the most unceremonious death to a Jedi in the Star Wars universe. Not only was his lightsaber hand severed by Anakin Skywalke to save then-Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, but Windu was then pushed out of his office window and into the nighttime traffic on Coruscant.
Now normally, we’d make the argument that Jedi shouldn’t have children, seeing as they’re bound by their order to abstain from emotional attachments. That being said, if Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu was as cavalier about following the rules in his personal life as he was when trying to bring Senator Palpatine to justice, we wouldn’t be surprised if he did have a son.
For Jessie T. Usher to choose to be Mace Windu’s son kind of makes perfect sense, considering his character of J.J. in Shaft would be a great prototype for such a role. The son of a legendary figure of justice and settling the score, who would follow his father’s example to clean up the mess of the past is something that tracks well with what we’ve seen in director Tim Story’s new film.
Not to mention, with The Mandalorian coming to Disney+, there’s already a perfect venue for such a match-up to take place. Then again, with Jackson’s own thoughts about the character not being dead in the Star Wars galaxy, there’s a chance that on screen father and son could kick ass together yet again.
Though this brings us to another example of how free with his thoughts Samuel L. Jackson can be, as during that same interview he told Jessie T. Usher that there’s another character he wishes he could see him play the son of. And it’s a hell of an exchange to read, as Jessie is also totally up for grabbing the following suggestion:
Jackson: I wanna see you as a gangster, man. I’d rather see you as a gangster … like Ordell’s son, from Jackie Brown.Usher: I’m down for that too. I think I’m ready.Jackson: This is Ordell’s boy, Nordell.
Yet another deceased character in the Samuel L. Jackson canon, Ordell Robbie found himself shot down by the end of the Quentin Tarantino directed crime comedy, which would obviously leave a vacuum for his young son to eventually fill. As you’ll see in the video from our interview below, the prospect is as exciting to Jessie T. Usher as being the next generation in a galaxy far, far, away.
Family relations make for interesting sequels when done right, and both of those prospects could be sparkling prospects for Jessie T. Usher to further hone the skills he shows off in Shaft. Handing the young actor a lightsaber would also be a good idea for further expanding the Star Wars universe, so there’s no bad ideas here.
Of course, we’ll probably have to wait and see how Shaft performs at the box office this weekend before any sort of decision such as this is made; but as fans of the idea, we’ll cross our fingers that there’s at least a meeting between the Lucasfilm brass and Mr. Usher in the weeks to come.
Shaft hits theaters tomorrow night in early showings, and we’ll have continuing coverage on the film hitting CinemaBlend in the run up to its release. So stay tuned for more!
