Greetings, everyone. Heterosexual life partners Jay and Silent Bob are making their return to the big screen in their third film as lead characters, Jay and Silent Bob: Store Wars. Writer/director Kevin Smith (who also portrays Silent Bob) is currently promoting the long-awaited re-release of his religious satire, Dogma. During a recent discussion regarding the re-release, Smith shared insights about the return of Jay and Silent Bob with Collider’s Steve Weintraub. He expressed gratitude for being able to finance a new Jay and Silent Bob film and outlined its plot, which is a stoner-comedy take on a long-running MAD Magazine feature:
“Believe it or not, man, we still find financing for Jay and Silent Bob pictures, so we’re making a movie called Jay and Silent Bob: Store Wars. For those who recall and still follow this closely, in Clerks III, they now run their own dispensary, since weed is legal in New Jersey. Store Wars is basically Spy vs. Spy. Another dispensary opens up across the street, and they spend the whole movie fighting and trying to destroy one another. So, it’s a stoner comedy, man, of the highest order, and I’m happy as hell.”
Smith discussed returning to the role he first played in 1994’s Clerks, alongside Jason Mewes. “Me and Mewes have been playing Jay and Silent Bob now for 32 years, and still, we get to do it one more time, and I know how rare that is at this point,” he told Collider. He marveled at the idea that after so many years they are still able to make these films, stating: “Time was when I entered this business, there was no guarantee that I’d be making Jay and Silent Bob movies 32 years into my career. But as we all know what the business is like today, it’s confounding, to be honest with you, that somebody is still like, ‘You know what? As Hollywood crumbles, and as the industry crumbles, we need one more Jay and Silent Bob movie, just in case that’s what was missing.’ So, I’m here for it, man. I can’t wait to go back. Jason’s ready. He knows how to play that character in his sleep, so if he’s awake, it’s going to be a great movie.”
Smith also revealed how far along the film is in production: “We’re still putting it together. We’re in the casting stages right now. So, the other two characters are much younger than us and basically are our opposites in almost every way. So that’s where we are. We’re casting right now.” Jay and Silent Bob: Store Wars has not yet set a release date.
Who Are Jay and Silent Bob?
A pair of marijuana dealers and enthusiasts from Leonardo, New Jersey, the profane motor-mouthed Jay and his taciturn companion Silent Bob first appeared in Clerks. They have subsequently appeared in every one of Smith’s “View Askewniverse” films, including <em>Mallrats</em>, Chasing Amy, as well as Clerks II and III. The duo has also made cameos in various other projects such as Degrassi: The Next Generation, Scream 3, and The Flash. They have headlined two films of their own: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which sees them head to Hollywood to prevent a movie adaptation of their comic book alter egos Bluntman and Chronic; and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, where they crash Comic-Con to stop a Bluntman and Chronic reboot.
What Is ‘Dogma’ About?
Jay and Silent Bob also appear in 1999’s Dogma, assisting abortion clinic employee Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) against two fallen angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) who plan to re-enter Heaven through a dogmatic loophole that would also destroy the universe. The film was controversial upon its 1999 release but was both critically acclaimed and financially successful. However, it has been unavailable on home video or streaming for decades due to being owned by now-disgraced Miramax executives Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Recently, however, the Weinsteins sold the rights, leading to the film’s release on physical media as well as streaming services along with a theatrical re-release.
Jay and Silent Bob: Store Wars is currently in pre-production. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
