- Kevin Smith is writing Jay and Silent Bob 3 after being inspired by the anniversary of Clerks and a discussion with Jason Mewes.
- Mewes didn’t want to wait 10 years for a sequel, prompting the project to start earlier than anticipated.
- Smith wants to bring unexpected elements to the movie and use it as an opportunity to hone his comedic skills.
Kevin Smith recently gave an update on a new Jay and Silent Bob film, sharing that he is currently working on a third installment in the duo’s franchise. In an episode of his Fatman Beyond podcast, Smith expressed that he is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Clerks, which introduced Jay and Silent Bob to audiences, throughout the year. This, coupled with conversations with actor Jason Mewes, led Smith to think about creating Jay and Silent Bob 3.
Smith said on the podcast, “I didn’t think I would do it for a long time, but I had an idea and I was like, ‘I’m going to follow this and see where it leads,’ and it’s led to something I really enjoy.” He then announced that he is now working on Jay and Silent Bob 3, as Mewes didn’t want to wait a decade for a sequel—which was Smith’s original plan.
Regarding the project, Smith explained, “I’m writing another Jay and Silent Bob movie. I honestly didn’t think I’d do it for…we had a plan to do the third Jay and Silent Bob movie when Jay’s daughter Logan was 18, and she could play Harley’s daughter in the movie. Harley played Jay’s daughter in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, so Logan would play Jay’s granddaughter, and we thought that would be messed up. But Mewes was just like, ‘So I’ve got to wait ten years to do another movie?’ So I was like, ‘I guess you’re right,’ so I started thinking about this thing and started writing it, and I absolutely love it.”
Since their introduction in 1994’s Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith himself, have appeared in movies like Dogma and Chasing Amy. The duo began their own series with 2001’s Hollywood satire Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and continued with Jay and Silent Bob Reboot in 2019.
While waiting for more news about the forthcoming film, Smith shared some insight into his creative approach, likening it to his 2011 horror movie Red State. He expressed a desire to surprise audiences and challenge their expectations.
“I’m writing it in the way that I wrote Red State….anytime I know where the movie’s going, that means the audience knows where the movie’s going, and since it’s a Jay and Silent Bob movie, and…I dunno, the 18th…probably the audience knows where a lot of it’s going to go. Any time I feel that way, I just turn the tables and write something completely different. Any time I know what the punchline is, I’m forcing myself to find a different punchline to undercut it and stuff. So I’m using it as an exercise to sharpen the comedic knives, if you will.”
Jay and Silent Bob most recently appeared in 2022’s Clerks III, which mirrored Smith’s real-life health crisis, as the story followed store clerk Randal surviving a heart attack and deciding to make a film about his and friend Dante’s experiences at the Quick Stop convenience store.