Speaking to RSG, Leon Schuster said he has been working with South African film and television director Gray Hofmeyr on the script for the new Mr Bones movie. They approached Netflix as well as Showmax and other entities within MultiChoice to support and fund the movie, and Leon Schuster said initial feedback from Netflix has been positive.

“Netflix really liked the idea and the concept of the new Mr Bones movie,” Schuster said in the RSG interview. Schuster said they have been working for over a year on the script for the new Mr Bones movie and that he really hopes the movie will go ahead. It is understood that no decision has been made by Showmax and the other divisions in MultiChoice about the movie yet. MyBroadband contacted Netflix for comment about its perspective on the new Leon Schuster movie, but the company did not respond by the time of publication.

Last week, Showmax removed six Leon Schuster movies from its platform as a precautionary measure pending a review to ensure there is no racially insensitive material. This was done in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, which highlights the prevalence of blackface in many movies and TV series as a problematic topic. Schuster often used makeup to disguise himself as a black person in his movies to prank unsuspecting victims. Commenting on the removal of his movies from Showmax, Schuster said he was shocked and disappointed by the decision.

“People who ask me the most to portray a black person in my movies are black South Africans,” said Schuster. He added that “we stay in South Africa and Africa, which is not a place for sissies or over-sensitive people”. He said he fails to understand why Showmax showed his movies for years but is now reviewing the content. “The first Mr Bones was released 20 years ago, and for all this time it was good enough for South Africans,” said Schuster. He said the decision by Showmax annoyed him, but he would not let it distract him from his future plans. Schuster said they have put a lot of hard work into the new Mr Bones movie and he hopes the decision by Showmax will not mean the movie is cancelled.