MICHAEL JAI WHITE
I knew Joe Lewis for almost two decades — from 1993 to 2012 — and during that time, I don’t recall him saying anything positive about another martial artist. That’s not a knock; it’s just a statement of fact. There was one exception to that observation, however. Back in 2001, Lewis said something glowingly positive about one man. It was the day he introduced me to a martial artist I’d never met. That martial artist’s name was Michael Jai White.
— RWY
LISTEN TO MJW ON THE BLACK BELT PODCAST!
Harinder Singh interviewed Michael Jai White for the Black Belt Podcast. Go here now to listen. https://blackbeltmag.com/MichaeJaiWhite
BLACK BELT: One of the topics I wanted to cover in this interview is your moviemaking. We get lots of questions and comments about which Michael Jai White movie will get a sequel and what’s coming next. “We need another Black Dynamite.” “We need another Blood and Bone.” And by the way, I just rewatched Black Dynamite. You are a genius — that movie works on so many levels. So I will ask: Are we going to get another Black Dynamite?
Michael Jai White: Thank you. When I did Black Dynamite, I had a couple of different ideas for making movies in that style, in a kind of throwback ’70s sty le. So one of the next things I’m doing is a Western version, kind of like Buck and the Preacher meets Blazing Saddles. It’s called The Outlaw Johnny Black.
Will it have the look and feel of Black Dynamite?
Yes, but in a Western setting. In Black Dynamite, I lampooned the hyper-action type of blacksploitation movie. On this one, I’m lampooning not only the blaxploitation [genre] but also the Western itself of that period. There’s a lot of things I find funny like Hollywood actors playing Native Americans. You had a lot of things at the time that are not politically correct, so it is a fun genre in the same way the blaxploitation movie genre is fun.
Would you say Black Dynamite is the movie you’re most proud of?
Yes because it came from my headspace. Often when you do a movie, you’ve got every department in the production helping you
