One of the best things about the making of a Jackass movie is that the performers and the crew get way more material than they need during the production. The reason this is so great is not only because it ensures that what plays on the big screen is top-notch stuff, but because it allows the creation of “.5” movies – which are additional feature-length projects that are released when the films hit home video.
We’ve three of these edits so far – Jackass 2.5, Jackass 3.5, and Bad Grandpa .5 – and now director Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville have confirmed that Jackass 4.5 is on the way following the theatrical run of the perfectly titled Jackass Forever.
I took part in the Jackass Forever virtual junket yesterday in advance of the movie’s release date next week, and it was during my interview with Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville that I asked if Jackass 4.5 was in the works – and not only did that they confirm it was on the way, but described it as “really strong.”
Following up, I asked what the editing process was like in the creation of Jackass Forever and how it was determined which material went into which cut, and Jeff Tremaine noted that there is actually some stuff in Jackass 4.5 that is so good that a part of him wishes it was in the theatrical version. Said the director,
It's funny, because until you're in the thick of it, a lot of that... we shuffle it around, and there's some really good things on there that, in retrospect, I kind of wish some of it was in the movie. But I'm glad that 4.5 is as strong as it is. It just means the movie we've got is strong.
The ".5" movies that we've seen exist separately from the big screen releases in that they are a blend of behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes that have been cut together as a feature-length project. There tends to be some great insight provided from on-set interviews with the filmmakers and performers, and there are also some excellent new stunts that just didn't fit into the theatrical counterpart.
Simply put, it's more of the Jackass crew seriously damaging their bodies for our entertainment, and for fans that's always a great thing.
As of right now we don’t know when Jackass 4.5 will be released, but the safe bet is that we’ll see it around the home video release of Jackass Forever. An interesting possibility is that it could land in Paramount+'s library of movies as part of the film’s streaming debut – but that’s purely speculative.
The deal that is presently in place with Paramount Pictures releases is that the movies will be available to watch online no less than 45 days after a title's debut on the big screen, so it's not impossible/inconceivable that we could see the follow-up cut arrive on Paramount+ in mid-March.
Stay tuned for more from my interviews with the creators of Jackass Forever, and see the film in theaters everywhere – following its brief delay from last year – next Friday, February 4.
To see what else is ahead film-wise for the rest of the year, check out our 2022 Movie Release Calendar.
