It appears thatKevin Smithis indeed diving back into his View Askewniverse, just not on the movie his fans thought was next. Smith announced in 2015 that he was getting serious about makingClerks 3, but when the idea for aMallratssequel arose, he put theClerkssequel on the backburner. Now, in a Facebook post, Smith has revealed thatClerks 3is dead as one of the film’s four leads has backed out of wanting to do the film. As forMallrats, that was re-envisioned as a TV serieslast summer,but Smith says he’s pitched it to six different networks, all of whom turned the idea down. So what’s he moving onto now? AJay and Silent Bob Strike Backsequel, of course.
Smith saysthat last month he began writing a script forJay and Silent Bob Reboot, a film he describes thusly:
And so all last month, I had the time of my life laughing while writing “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” - a fun flick in which the Jersey boys have to go back to Hollywood to stop a brand new reboot of the old “Bluntman & Chronic Movie” they hated so much. It’s a tongue-in-cheek, silly-ass satire that pokes fun at the movie business’s recent re-do obsession, featuring an all-star cast of cameos and familiar faces! And I already met with the good folks at Miramax and they’re into it, so I’m hoping we’ll be shooting in the summer!
Smith notes that while he doesn’t own the rights toClerks,Mallrats,Chasing Amy, orDogma, hedoesownJay and Silent Bob Strike Back, so while sequels to those films were contingent upon a variety of other factors, it sounds likeJay and Silent Bob Rebootcould actually happen without needing a ton of greenlights.
Smith’s recent cinematic output has been lacking, by many accounts. After 201’sCop Out, on which Smith and starBruce Willisbutted heads, the filmmaker rebooted himself in a way, crafting a deadly serious drama calledRed State. He followed that up with the ridiculous/gross/creepy horror filmTusk, which was planned as the first installment of a True North trilogy of films that all take place in Canada. The second installment,Yoga Hosers, opened last year to scathing reviews, and while Smith has written the trilogy capperMoose Jawsand intended to start filming in 2016, production has not yet gotten underway on that particular pic.
In addition to overseeing his swath of podcasts, Smith’s also been stretching his filmmaking talents, helming episodes of The CW superhero showsThe FlashandSupergirlto great success. The guy certainly has a significant fanbase, andJay and Silent Bob Strike Backis an amusingly silly comedy, so perhapsJay and Silent Bob Rebootwill launch him back into the commercial realm of films likeZack and Miri Make a Pornoand the underratedJersey Girl.
What say you, folks? Are you down for a newJay and Silent Bobmovie? Sound off in the comments below after reading Smith’s full message.
