Samuel L. Jackson surprised by how quickly Marvel bosses raced through his nine-picture deal

Samuel L. Jackson was surprised by how quickly he managed to fulfill his original nine-picture deal with Marvel.

When the Pulp Fiction star agreed to play Nick Fury in nine Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, he wondered how many years of his life he was signing away. However, he raced through his contract quicker than expected.

"I knew I had a nine-picture deal," Jackson said in a career retrospective for GQ. "(Marvel Studios president) Kevin (Feige) said that: 'We're going to offer you a nine-picture deal.' How long do you have to stay alive to make nine movies? It's not the quickest process in the world. I didn't know they were going to make nine movies in like two and a half years. That's kind of crazy! Oh s**t, I'm using up my contracts. It worked out."

Jackson, 75, made his debut as Fury with a cameo appearance at the end of 2008's Iron Man. While some of his appearances were brief cameos, he completed his nine-picture contract with Captain Marvel in 2019. However, he continued to play character beyond the deal, appearing in Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home later that same year.

Fans last saw the actor as Fury last year in the Disney+ TV show Secret Invasion and The Marvels film.

While his potential involvement in upcoming Marvel projects is currently unknown, the Snakes on a Plane star has expressed interest in playing Fury for as long as possible.

"Feels like I've been playing him forever. If I had it my way, I would've been in every Marvel movie because, I mean, he is Nick Fury, he knows everything that's going on," he told Entertainment Tonight last year.