Shaft (2019) brings together three different generations of John Shafts, but does it feature an after-credits scene? Released in 1971, the original Shaft introduced Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, a slick private investigator who’s hired to rescue a Harlem mobster’s daughter from the Italian mafia. In the decades since it released, the film has come to be regarded as a classic of the Blaxploitation genre and spawned a pair of (mostly forgotten) followups in the ’70s, followed by a legacy sequel titled Shaft in 2000. That movie starred Samuel L. Jackson as John Shaft II, a soon-to-be former NYPD detective and the original Shaft’s nephew.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along 1 & 2) and written by Alex Barnow (The Goldbergs) and Kenya Barris (Black-ish), the new Shaft stars Jessie Usher as John “JJ” Shaft Jr., an FBI cybersecurity expert and son of Shaft II. Jackson and Roundtree also reprise their roles as the other John Shafts in the film, which follows the trio as they team up to solve a mystery involving the death of JJ’s close friend. And while it doesn’t flat-out reboot the Shaft franchise, the movie’s clearly meant to function as a revival that leaves the door open for a fresh set of sequels.
For those who are curious, Shaft (2019) does NOT include an after-credits scene. As always, it’s good to watch the credits as a show of respect to the film’s many crew members, and those who do wait through the credits will get some funky music to appreciate along the way. What they won’t get, however, is an extra scene and/or a stinger that sets up a future Shaft movie.
In the absence of an after-credits scene, it’s difficult to say what Warner Bros. is planning for the future of the Shaft franchise (if anything). The film only cost $30 million to make and is projected to gross some $20 million in its domestic opening weekend alone, so it has a decent shot at turning a profit over its box office run. Nevertheless, its commercial potential will be limited by the fact that Netflix plans to begin streaming it outside the U.S. two weeks after its premiere - something that will substantially impact the movie’s international box office run. Furthermore, this suggests that WB isn’t isn’t exactly focused on trying to launch a whole new set of Shaft movies with this one.
To be fair, the Shaft franchise had a spotty track record long before the 2019 sequel came along. As mentioned, the followups to the 1971 movie (Shaft’s Big Score! and Shaft in Africa) were not exactly smash-hits, and most people have likely never even heard of the ’70s Shaft TV movie series. Similarly, it took nineteen years for Shaft (2000) to get a sequel, and even then it was a bit surprising it happened at all. For the same reasons, it was a smart call to hold-off on including an after-credits teaser with the latest Shaft installment, and simply wait to see how it goes over with general audiences and the box office first.
- Shaft Release Date: 2019-06-14
