Michael Jai White: No Black Dynamite Sequel, But a New Western, Outlaw Johnny Black
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In the last few weeks, genre movie geeks and comedy fans have been abuzz with the possibility of a sequel to one of the best comedies of the last two decades, 2009’s Black Dynamite. A spot-on blaxploitation parody featuring biting satire, hilarious gags and a treasure trove of filmmaking in-jokes, the original immediately became a cult classic thanks to its strong cast, highlighted by the intimidating, Superman-like presence of Michael Jai White as the title character. Now, White has broken his silence via Twitter, confirming that another movie in the vein of Black Dynamite is coming … but it won’t be a straight-up sequel. Rather, it will be a western called Outlaw Johnny Black. White also has shared a snippet of video, which you can see below.
“We’re Goin’ Outlaw….and You Can Too!”#goinoutlaw#thisisjaigantic#youcantoopic.twitter.com/VNxGSHbsfq
— Michael Jai White (@MichaelJaiWhite) January 30, 2018
You guys guessed it! My next project is not Black Dynamite, but is a Western, entitled “Outlaw Johnny Black”.
We will be rolling out details in the next few days on how you guys can be a part of the project too.
— Michael Jai White (@MichaelJaiWhite) February 5, 2018
It would seem that Outlaw Johnny Black is the fulfillment of an idea that Michael Jai White first shared all the way back in 2012. At the time, he said that Black Dynamite was conceived as the first part of a ‘70s-centric trilogy, wherein the same cast would return to make three different types of genre movies set in the same period. Thus, Black Dynamite represents the ‘70s blaxploitation action movie/kung fu movie, while Outlaw Johnny Black is the ‘70s western, presumably drawing plenty of inspiration from the spaghetti epics of Sergio Leone—much as Tarantino did in Django Unchained. What could the third entry be? A buddy cop film? An eastern kung fu movie in the style of the Shaw Brothers? A science fiction epic? Who knows?
All we know is that it’s always fun to see Michael Jai White in full-on ass-kicking form. Although the actor is now 50 years old, we dare you to point out his approaching eligibility for an AARP card to his face. It will also be great to see the cast of Black Dynamite back at it again, if they are all indeed returning.
There is no release date yet for Outlaw Johnny Black, but White’s tweet implies that fans will have a chance to be “part of the project.” Could a crowd-funding campaign be incoming? Let’s hope we see the film progressing sooner rather than later. Now that we’ve been promised a trilogy, it would be a shame to see anything get in the way of the final installment.