or from this:
but he started out from this:
Screenwriter Ernest Tidyman (who also did the screenplays for The French Connection and High Plains Drifter) created John Shaft in the 1970 novel Shaft because he wanted to create an American James Bond. Why are we talking about Shaft?
Dynamite Comics announced that they've acquired the "comics and prose" rights to Tidyman's creation, including the rights to reprint the original novels and publish new ones. How long until Shaft teams up with the Six Million Dollar Man or The Green Hornet?
From the Dynamite press release:
Ernest Tidyman was quoted on the origins of Shaft: "The idea came out of my awareness of both the social and literary situation in a changing city. There are winners, survivors & losers in the New York scheme of things. It was time for a black winner, whether he was a private detective or an obstetrician."Curtis Brown literary agent Steve Kasdin, who represents the Tidyman estate said: "The literary craftsmanship that built John Shaft sent him into the world fully formed and moving. You knew who and what he was from Jump Street. So much so that even a less than stellar sequel or two didn't kill his standing. The consensus seemed to be: ‘Oh my Lord, they done put poor Shaft in another bad movie.' I'm thrilled with Dynamite's vision for Shaft, and look forward to his new adventures."