Last night Kevin Smith made a surprise post on his Instagram account that started with the words “This is not a drill!” alongside a screenshot from his laptop with the title page of the script “Jay & Silent Bob Reboot.”
The screenplay is, of course, written by Smith himself and dated Feb. 5, 2017. Also in the lower right corner, screenplay credits are given to “A SModCo/view Askew Co-Production.”
Smith says Jay Mewes is on board to co-star in the film, and that Santa Monica-based Miramax has expressed interest. He optimistically hopes to start production on the movie this summer.
The film would follow other titles including Jay and Silent Bob Go Down Under (2012), and Jay and Silent Bob Get Old: Tea Bagging in the UK (2012), Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie (2013), and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), the film that featured the two iconic characters from Smith’s breakthrough film Clerks (1994).
In the Instagram post, Smith included some info about the movie Clerks III of which he says can’t happen since one of the four leads opted out. He also mentioned how the film Mallrats has been turned into an upcoming TV series.
As a producer, Smith is currently in post-production for the TV movie Hollyweed, filming the documentary The Staremaster, and recently announced the comedy/horror title Moose Jaws that he describes as “Like Jaws (1975), but with a moose.”
Here’s the complete post from the wordy @thatkevinsmith.
This is not a drill! This is an actual image from my laptop! Yes, Kids – @jayandsilentbob are coming back! Here’s the story: Sadly, Clerks III can’t happen (one of our four leads opted out of the flick). So I worked on a #Mallrats movie instead… which also didn’t happen because it turned into a #Mallrats series. I’ve pitched said sequel series to 6 different networks only to find no takers thus far. Mind you, I’m not complaining: nobody gets to make EVERYTHING they wanna make in this business (do they?). And I’ve been lucky to make anything at all, there’s so much competition out there, so many much cooler ideas from fresh folks. And besides: I had #comicbookmen and then @tuskthemovie and @yogahosers (which all came together so crazy quickly), and the podcasts and #fatmanonbatman. With all of that, how could I bitch about no Clerks III or Mallrats 2? Then when I started directing @thecw shows, it was such a slice of Heaven on Earth, I happily put my Askewniverse sequels to the side. Since I sold #Clerks and #Mallrats years ago, they’re owned by others, which limits my moves with my own material. I don’t mind: back in the day, all I ever wanted to do was sell my stuff so I could be in the movie biz in the first place. So I don’t own Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy or #Dogma… But I DO own #jayandsilentbob. So while I love playing with someone else’s new toys on @cwtheflash and @Supergirl, I’m getting eager to play with my old toys again in the inter-connected View Askewniverse I spent the first half of my career creating. 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! Never give up, kids. You CAN do anything you want in life, so long as you’re patient and malleable.
