In Hollywood (AKA the land of reboots and remakes), young actors must be prepared to take on the roles of iconic characters’ sons. For the most part, it’s a thankless task. After being tossed late in the game of a well-known franchise, you’re up to bat against fan expectations, critical scorning, and more than likely, the shadow of your big-named co-star.
And that’s exactly what Jessie T. Usher had to face up against when he joined the Shaft team. Playing J.J., the estranged son of Samuel L. Jackson’s private eye John Shaft, his millennial state-of-being was a constant source of humor and focus for the film.
Though the project hasn’t garnered too much praise thus far, scoring a tumultuous 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, Usher feels confident enough in his portrayal that he’s ready to tack onto another heavy-hitter from Jackson’s career.
In a recent interview with CinemaBlend, the 27-year-old actor said if he could play the son of any other Sam J. character, it’d be Mace Windu from Star Wars.
“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 in possibly the most unceremonious way of any Jedi in the whole series. Rightly attempting to arrest then-Chancellor Palpatine, his lightsaber hand was not only cut off by Anakin Skywalker, but he was bombarded by force lightning and pushed off the building into the nighttime traffic on Coruscant.
Though the question of whether or not a Jedi should have children could be brought up, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn Mace Windu bent that rule. The man behind the purple lightsaber was always rather cavalier in his approach, so a kid could be possible.
And Usher would be a good choice, having already played the son of a figure of justice. But if this were to ever happen, it may not even be in an avenger role. Jackson’s adamant that Windu survived the fall, and we already know George Lucas’ thing for mechanical limbs, so if we were to see Jessie T. Usher and Samuel L. Jackson in Star Wars together, they may be another kick-ass father-son duo.
