Samuel L. Jackson Joins Up with The Last Dragon

In a story from The Hollywood Reporter, it looks like Samuel L. Jackson is set to star as a bad guy again in Columbia Pictures' remake of Berry Gordy's 1985 cult classic The Last Dragon.

The actor will play Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, a role played in the original by the late Julius Carry, whose spiel included asking ego-driven questions like 'Am I the baddest mofo lowdown around this town?' Each time his gang of thugs answered, 'Sho 'nuff!'

Handling screenwriting as well as producing duties is Dallas Jackson, who heads up the urban family label DJ Classicz with Davis. Wu-Tang Clan's RZA is co-producing.

This new version of the film will be along the same lines of the original, centering on young martial arts student Leroy Green in his quest through the streets of New York to achieve the highest level of martial arts accomplishment, known as the Last Dragon. Those who achieve the high ranking possess the Glow, making them the greatest fighter alive.

The plan is for the project, announced by Columbia presidents Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, will take a new look at Last Dragon coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Motown next year.

"We're thrilled to be working with Kerry Gordy as he continues his father's legacy, and we're confident that he along with John and Dallas are the perfect team to develop the project," Belgrad offered. "They will capture everything that people love about the original while also bringing a fresh edge to the remake."

Even though it got poor reviews, Last Dragon did well at the boxoffice, grossing nearly $26 million. It soon became a cult classic for scenes like Bruce Lee follower Green remaining so loyal to the martial arts star that he eats his popcorn in a movie theater with chopsticks.