SHAFT Miami Red Carpet Premiere w/ Samuel L Jackson, Richard Roundtree, and Jesse T Usher

The Miami Red Carpet premiere was a star-studded event that left fans in a tizzy of excitement this past week during the opening night of the American Black Film Festival. Never before has there ever been three generations of Shaft characters under one roof for a premiere.

The original Shaft, played by actor Richard Roundtree in the 70s, was very excited to finally finally take part in the ABFF Weekend. “I finally got down here. I’ve been threatening to do this for some time and to finally be here and have a film in it, is a double winner,” says Roundtree.

Jackson T Usher, Shaft co-star and another first time ABFF attendee stated “It’s always a great thing to be in the company of a bunch of artistic-minded black folk. So we got something in common there, from the jump — the love of film, the love of the art, the love of storytelling.” Usher also goes on to state how he feels about celebrities coming in town just for a quick buck. “Some people are here to get their picture signed so they can sell them. But other than that, it’s a wonderful gathering. The celebrating of other folks’ accomplishments, especially in this particular industry.”

In this movie, Samuel L Jackson plays John Shaft, the nephew of Richard Roundtree’s original Shaft character. Jesse T. Usher plays Jackson’s estranged FBI agent son, John Shaft III. The movie centers around Usher’s character, a cyber security expert who needs his famous family’s help to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s death.

This movie stars Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Regina Hall, and Alexandra Shipp. Shaft is now running in theaters across the country.