Play It Again, Sam: Samuel L. Jackson Sings The Blues For 'The Hitman's Bodyguard'

Samuel L. Jackson is no stranger to singing on the silver screen, despite the fact that he has never made a frequent thing of it. Whenever he does decide it's time once again to croon a tune (or several tunes), Jackson invariably sings good old fashioned southern blues. This will be no different in his upcoming film The Hitman's Bodyguard, but having Sam singing wasn't originally part of the plan. Before we get into how this turn of events came about, let's take a brief glance back at Jackson's surprising track record of singing the blues.

The Blues And Sam Go Back Like Rocking Chairs

In the 1996 action film Long Kiss Goodnight (in which he stars with a proto-Atomic Blonde Geena Davis), Jackson plays Mitch Henessey, a blues-loving private eye. Throughout the film, Mitch croons Bo Diddly's "I'm A Man," with hilariously improvised lyrics that help him feel confident in times of self doubt:

"Ba-da-da-da-dun, got me a handgun / Ba-da-da-da-dun, got a rifle too / Ba-da-da-da-dun, anybody #%&$ with Mitch / He knows just what to do, cuz I'm a bad mother#$%^er."

(Side note: He's not.)

On the more serious side of things, in the 2006 drama Black Snake Moan, Jackson plays Lazarus Redd, a man on a mission from God. Redd is a fanatically religious farmer and a former blues guitarist who believes he's been called to intervene in the life of a promiscuous young woman (Christina Ricci) who's on the road to ruin. To ready himself for the role, Jackson actually spent half a year studying for six or seven hours a day to learn to play blues guitar for his performances with the instrument, which are layered throughout the film.

In keeping with what's shaped up to be about an every 10-year average, Jackson is singing on screen once again. This time it's for The Hitman's Bodyguard, his 2018 action comedy with co-star Ryan Reynolds. Here, Jackson takes on the role of Darius, a notorious hitman who is scheduled testify at the International Court of Justice, and it's the job of his mortal enemy (Reynolds), the world's top bodyguard, to get him there alive. That is, of course, if they don't kill each other first!

'The Hitman's Bodyguard' [Credit: Lionsgate]

A Hitman With A Hit Song?

On the morning of Friday, August 4, the movie hitman himself fired off a tweet to announce to fans on Twitter the release of "Nobody Gets Out Alive," Jackson’s new song on the soundtrack for The Hitmans' Bodyguard. A link to Spotify and iTunes accompanying the Tweet leads listeners to the track, which features the actor’s trademark tenor. It's a song that bubbles with the classic notes of a good blues ditty, complete with stretched slide guitar licks, a bottoming bass groove, and soulful sopranos on the backing vocals. All combined, it creates a sweet marriage of southern blues and southern gospel spiced up with curse words.

Here's my new track "Nobody Gets Out Alive" for the HITMAN'S BODYGUARD OST! Go see the film in theaters on 8/18! https://t.co/eBGnI0yWKz pic.twitter.com/TbWTtKYkaq

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) August 4, 2017

Surprisingly, “Nobody Gets Out Alive” wasn't originally planned for the film. It wasn't even a song at all, but just grew organically out of a scene in which Jackson's high-strung hitman is sitting in a car with Reynolds's boring bodyguard. The song's creation was mostly the result of in-the-moment improvisation, but director Patrick Hughes liked what he heard and asked Jackson to keep fleshing the song out.

To make sure that the song lived up to its potential, the director also shared what had been captured on film with Atli Örvarsson the film's soundtrack composer. Örvarsson then worked with Jackson to help mold it into the song heard on the soundtrack today, complete with wisdom-filled but R-rated lyrics written by Jackson himself.

Raised In The Land Of Blues Legends

Considering Jackson's past, his cinematic brushes with the blues over the course of his storied career make perfect sense. Although born in Washington, D.C., Jackson was actually raised by his grandparents in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the birthplace of the blues music queen Bessie Smith. Tennessee at large was also the birthplace and the home of several blues music legends like John Lee Hooker, Memphis Minnie, B.B. King, Ike Turner and too many others to name.

Ironically, whenever asked about his preferences in music, Jackson has professed an appreciation for hip-hop, but the man clearly has blues music in his soul, too. With all hope, between now and sometime around 2027, we’ll get yet another chance to hear his inner bluesman crooning once again.

Also starring Salma Hayek, Gary Oldman and Elodie Young, The Hitman’s Bodyguard opens on August 18.

Playing Dirty: 'The Hitman's Bodyguard' Posters Pay Homage To The Art of 'Dirty Harry'

Yup, I see what you did there, Lionsgate. Getting 'down and dirty' with the posters for The Hitman's Bodyguard. I have to say that when I saw 'em, it really, really –wait for it–made my day.

Starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, The Hitman’s Bodyguard opens on August 18.

What If Marvel Studios Made Blaxploitation Movies?

By St. Paco

If you were ever a fan of Marvel Comics from, say, 1977 to now, then you've probably run your eyes through an issue or two (or twenty) of Marvel's long-running What If...? title. For those who aren't familiar with the book, the stories in What If...? explore themes that deviate from or alter completely the established norms of Marvel's literary canon. For instance, on the cover of What If...? #1, readers were asked to consider, "What if Spider-Man was a member of the Fantastic Four?" Then, over the course of eighteen pages the writer and artist explored that idea without it actually impacting 'real' comic book continuity.

It was with a similar concept in mind that I made a limited series of "Marvel Blaxploitation" mini movie posters. The process permitted me to do some serious "What if...?" imaginings of my own. The very first of these was, "What if there was a fourth Iron Man movie with Ghostface Killah in the title role?" For those of you who don't listen to much hip-hop, Ghostface Killah is a member of the rap group Wu-Tang Clan. In addition to his main kung-fu movie inspired stage name the rapper also uses the comic book inspired nicknames, Iron Man and Tony Starks (ol' shell head's billionaire alter ego). To illustrate how much of a fan the man is, his first solo album was even titled "Iron Man."

Click to enlarge

In the bestselling book, The Wu-Tang Manual, author and Clan founder, RZA, reports that everyone in the nine-member crew grew up collecting comics. But it was Wu-Tang member Method Man who had, says RZA, "the most extensive collection...boxes and boxes of comic books." Like Ghostface, Method Man (another stage name taken from kung-fu flicks) also uses the additional comic book inspired nicknames of Johnny Blaze and Ghost Rider. In the Marvel universe, for you who don't know, motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze is the true identity of the flame-headed Ghost Rider. And it should probably be said that Meth's well-known love of marijuana 'blazing' has as much to do with these other nicknames as does his love of comics.

"It's my testament to those burned, play my position in the game of life standing firm / On foreign lands, jump the gun out of the frying pan
into the fire, transform into the Ghost Rider"
– Method Man, "Triumph"

Due to my own diehard affinities for hip-hop and comics, and sincere appreciation of Wu-Tang, Method Man and Ghostface Killah were obvious choices for the first pieces in the “Marvel Blaxploitation” mini movie poster series. It was originally only planned as two-parter but after finishing the two, I felt the urge to keep brainstorming to see what else might come out of it. The blaxploitation movie concept seemed like a good concept for at least one more mini-poster, which would give me a triptych/trilogy. But it was actually good for two more.

Although it took a few days to come up with the theme for the third piece, I eventually decided on one that would put Blade on screen (so to speak) with Nick Fury. Much to Marvel's credit, the company was already firmly on the cutting-edge of zombie lovin' pop culture with their Marvel Zombies comics. I even give them credit as trendsetters, since well before the other now-popular vampire franchises had come about, Marvel had three Blade films in theaters.

Mindful of the fact that Blade was also Marvel's first successful film franchise, the third piece permitted me to see him--quite deservedly--linked to the existing film universe of characters for which he paved the way. I also think that seeing Wesley with Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson resurrects his character's image from the muck of those franchise killing "sidekicks" played by Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel in Blade Trinity, the last Blade film.

(That’s right. I said it.)

The last piece in the series is based on a fairly popular "what if" scenario that plays out often in the minds of many comic book fans: "Who would win the fight between Storm of the X-Men and Thor?" Because Thor is the 'god of thunder' and Storm's mutant super-power enables her to control the weather, this one's a natural match-up. Thor is generally thought to have the upper hand in the battle, though, the most frequent reason being because: "He's a god!" But this…basically non-argument has less significance than many seem to realize.

Like virtually every god of ancient lore, Thor isn't immortal. He can be injured and even killed. Thus, with his mortality squarely in mind, I designed my mini movie poster...and then began writing a fan fiction piece in which Storm, who was worshiped by the people of her native Kenya as a goddess, opens up a shocking can of 'whup ass' on the god of thunder. It's a story rooted in religious lore and science-fact that would've made the late Dwayne McDuffie (who tried to tell a similar tale during his run on Fantastic Four, before nay-saying editors shot it down) very proud.

[Twirls mustache]

In addition to being just pure fun, the long process of making this mini-poster series caused me think a lot about power. More specifically, it made me think a lot about about the power of money and the power of images in American popular culture--as well as in traditional human societies. On a smaller and perhaps oversimplified scale, this series also allowed me to ponder what it must feel like to have the power to green light multi-million dollar movie deals, choose scripts, hire actors, directors, composers, musicians, and marketing & design firms.

Frankly, for a film buff like myself (yes, in addition to my many other obsessions), meditations on what it might be like to have movie mogul power was a wee bit intoxicating. But it also depressed the hell outta' me, too, recognizing even more now how very insular Hollywood is and how few have access to that world. Despite the fact that I may never get a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, for a little while at least the simple process of making these faux film promos enabled me to feel as if I had behind-the-scenes access (and front row seats) to some of the best superhero movies never made.

Samuel L. Jackson on pursuing his new dream