Samuel L. Jacksonis one of the most recognizable and accomplished actors of his generation, having appeared in several of the highest-grossing movies of all time. This immense success comes in part thanks to his various supporting roles throughout big studio franchises like the MCU, Star Wars, and Kingsman, alongside a handful of leading roles in more prestigious indie projects.Samuel L. Jackson’s best moviesare those that fully embrace his energetic, kinetic acting style, and that’s allowed him to forge a strong name for himself in today’s industry.

Importantly, Jackson has an effective blend of smaller, less renowned projects and huge blockbuster movies under his belt that’s allowed him to drift effortlessly between genres and remain relevant for several decades. He’s appeared in over 150 films throughout his extensive career, which is proven by the actor’s astounding box office records. Thoughnot all of the actor’s works have been huge successes,even those lesser-enjoyed films have someiconic Samuel L. Jackson quotesand unforgettable moments that have allowed them to live on for many years.

Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, and Anthony Mackie as Falcon in the MCU in Front of Film Strips

Samuel L. Jackson Is $2.2 Billion Away From Becoming The Highest-Grossing Actor Of All-Time

The Actor Just Needs A Few More Big Hits To Reach The Milestone

Jackson’s huge catalog of films has recently made him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time; that is, the actor whose collective filmography has secured the most amount of money at the box office internationally.The top spot is currently held by Stan Lee, who made cameos in every single MCU movie before his death in 2018. The MCU continues to be one of the most commercially successful franchises of the past few decades, so Lee’s inclusion in every single movie was an enormous boost to his box office worth.

3 MCU Movies Nick Fury Can Show Up Next

Nick Fury will no doubt return in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so which project could he show up in next?

Samuel L. Jackson also appeared in several MCU movies as Nick Fury, but there were some notable entries in the franchise where he was absent. Namely,Captain America: Civil WarandBlack Panther.Samuel L. Jackson has revealed that he wanted to be in these MCU projects, but there was no space for his character in those stories. If he’d made even the briefest of appearances in either, he’d be much closer to overtaking Stan Lee’s box office record.

Samuel L. Jackson headshot

Samuel L. Jackson’s Upcoming Movies Won’t Be Enough To Break Stan Lee’s Record

Jackson’s Upcoming Slate Isn’t Promising Enough Yet

AlthoughSamuel L. Jackson has some exciting upcoming projects, it’s unlikely that any of them will deliver the $2.2 billion needed to push the actor into that pole position. It’s going to take an extremely popular franchise to accumulate the capital needed for Jackson to overtake Lee, and none of his upcoming projects seem to bear that potential.The most likely isAfterburn, an upcoming sci-fi action moviethat takes place in the near future after Earth’s destruction by a deadly solar flare. The film will also feature Dave Bautista and Olga Kurylenko in major roles.

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The Unholy Trinity

Release Date Pending

WhileAfterburncould end up being a huge success, it would need to be one of thehighest-grossing films of all timein order to make Jackson the highest-grossing actor, and that seems very unlikely. It would have the support of the actor’s other upcoming projects, which also includeThe Piano LessonandThe Unholy Trinity, but none of these seem like heavy enough hitters to bring in enough money to make it happen.

An MCU Return Could Be What Samuel L. Jackson Needs To Become The Highest-Grossing Actor

There’s One Clear Way For The Actor To Make The Top Of The List

The most obvious (and likely) solution to making Samuel L. Jackson the highest-grossing actor of all time is bringing him back to the MCU, which could prove beneficial for both sides of the deal.The actor would profit from the inevitable box office success of movies likeAvengers: Doomsday, while the franchise would benefit from having another familiar face to draw older audiences back into theaters. This is exactly what’s happened withRobert Downey Jr’s casting as Doctor Doom, so it doesn’t seem too far-fetched to imagine a return for Nick Fury.

If Nick Fury is coming back, it’s almost certainly going to happen inAvengers: Doomsday. This is the franchise’s next big “event” release that’s set to bring all the recurring characters together for their biggest battle sinceEndgame, and it’s certainly going to have a very impressive cast. It would also be very fitting if Fury were the one to bring all the heroes together again, just like he did in the originalAvengersback in 2012. This seems like an incredible opportunity thatSamuel L. Jacksonshouldn’t pass on, even if his character is only given a minor role.