It’s been 13 years since we last visited Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse, but the filmmaker is finally returning to his old stomping grounds to shoot Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. Principal photography begins later this month in New Orleans, and Smith has put the call out for all sorts of Jay and Silent Bob cosplayers to audition for the hetero-life mates’ next cinematic adventure. As Smith explained:
In the flick, we’ve got a convention scene that requires lots of Jay and Silent Bob themed extras! So I’m inviting you to join us AS those extras! I’m looking for all sorts Jay and Silent Bob cosplayers of every gender, race or nationality, as well as creative variations of Jay & Bob too: like steampunk Jay & Bob, Jedi Jay & Bob, Rick & Morty Jay & Bob, Bat-Jay & Bob, Ape Jay & Bob, Zombie Jay & Bob, Furry Jay & Bob, etc! The funnier or the more fucked-up (within reason and without harming yourself or others), the likelier you’ll get featured in our shots! If you ever wanted to get screen time in one of my dopey flicks, there won’t be a better chance than this!
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot will kick off its New Orleans shoot on February 25 and roll cameras there until the end of March, with this convention scene being filmed during the latter half of production. You can find more details on casting, costume requirements and where to send submissions on Kevin Smith’s Instagram’s post, but suffice to say that if you and a friend/significant other like to dress up as Jay and Silent Bob, either through their traditional looks or with a fun spin on the costumes, you might want to check out this opportunity, especially if you live in or near The Big Easy. Just remember that your costume needs to be homemade, not store-bought.
Although Jay and Silent Bob last appeared on the big screen in 2006’s Clerks II, the duo finally starred in their own movie five years earlier in the form of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, when they traveled to Hollywood to try and prevent a movie being made about the superheroes modeled after them, Bluntman and Chronic. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is putting these characters through a completely fresh and original narrative, in that they’re headed back to Hollywood to try and prevent a reboot of the Bluntman and Chronic movie from being made. Okay, so maybe “fresh and original” were poor word choices, but nevertheless, the fact that a lot of Jay and Silent Bob cosplayers will be required for a convention scene means that these characters’ popularity hasn’t died down in the last two decades. Far from it, it sounds like they’re a bigger deal than ever.
It’s been two years since Kevin Smith announced Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and now the movie’s finally on the cusp of becoming a reality, with Saban Films acquiring the North American rights to the movie and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment picking up the international rights. Along with an assortment of other familiar faces from the View Askewniverse returning, there will also be a "fresh new crop of cameos from the worlds of movies, TV, music, and podcasting” appearing in the sequel.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot doesn’t have an assigned release date yet, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for that information and more updates on its progress. For now, scan through our 2019 release schedule to learn what’s coming to theaters sooner.
