Timothy Glaraton
Let me tell you a secret: to a connoisseur of satire and parody films, Michael Jai White’s Black Dynamite easily ranks among the all-time greats of the genre, up there with the likes of Blazing Saddles, Scary Movie, Not Another Teen Movie, and Airplane! I’ve been waiting for a follow-up to Black Dynamite ever since I first saw that film, especially after seeing an interview where White described his plans for a follow-up as a western parody that would be Blazing Saddles meets Buck and the Preacher. Now nearly fifteen years after Black Dynamite hit the big screen, and close to five years after the initial Kickstarter trailer, we finally have not just an official teaser for The Outlaw Johnny Black, but a theatrical release date of September 15th.
There isn’t much to go on in this first short teaser for The Outlaw Johnny Black, but what we do have certainly looks promising for fans of Black Dynamite, featuring the unmistakable narration of co-star Byron Minns and the promise of more kung fu, shootouts, and whip-smart, genre-savvy jokes—anyone with even passing knowledge of the genre will recognize the homage to Blazing Saddles’ famous horse punching scene. What’s even more important in my book is the brief credits shot at the end: not only is the film once again co-written by White and Minns, but The Outlaw Johnny Black reunites the core Dynamite cast of Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, Kim Whitley, and Tommy Davidson. That’s virtually everyone responsible for Black Dynamite’s success, so while we’ll have to wait until September 15th to see, The Outlaw Johnny Black is shaping up to be an excellent (and long-awaited) return for White and company.
