Jay and Silent Bob… Strike Back!?

After a long struggle to get Clerks III made, it looks like it isn’t going to happen for Kevin Smith. According to the director, one of the four leads has opted out (more than likely Jeff Anderson, who was burnt by Miramax on Clerks II). While he waited for word on another sequel to his first film, Smith wrote the script for Mallrats II. At one point the mall was chosen, all of the actors were signed on (with a contingency plan for Affleck), and all that was left was funding. One thing lead to another, and the film became Mallrats: The Series. The only problem is that the six networks that Smith has pitched the show to have all passed. So now as his sophomore sequel sits on the back burner, Kevin Smith is returning to the characters that he owns: Jay and Silent Bob.

Kevin Smith said on Facebook,

This is not a drill! This is an actual image from my laptop! Yes, Kids – Jay and Silent Bob 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. #KevinSmith

So it looks like Smith’s next film will be Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. The director and Silent Bob himself has an ambitious plan to start filming as soon as this summer. Let’s hope this one goes through, as I’m sure many of his fans are ready to get back to the View Askewniverse.