Last week the development of Jackass 4 hit a bit of a speed bump due to an unfolding drama involving star Bam Margera. The skateboarder has been a part of the Jackass crew from the very beginning, alongside the likes of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and Chris Pontius, but some dirty laundry was made public when Margera posted (and then deleted) a series of videos on Instagram bashing the upcoming film and dropping more than a few F-bombs. He also suggested that he wouldn't be in the movie – but now there's a new development that is suggesting the possibility of reconciliation between the production and the performer.
Bam Margera followed up his controversial videos with a new one on his Instagram, saying that he is now seeking help, and that he has “manic bipolar” disorder. He further added that he felt he was stressed about not knowing where he stood with Jackass 4, but now he has his answers. He said,
I, yesterday, I had to go batshit, bonkers fucking crazy because of not knowing the answer for a year and a half whether we're doing Jackass or not. I had to go fucking bonkers; I had to deal with the madness to finally know the answer. Now I know exactly what I want, and t’s going to be fucking awesome, and it’s going to be in a way where everyone wins in the end. So I love everybody, and there will be no bad blood this way.
While Paramount Pictures and a representative for director Jeff Tremaine did not respond for comment on the story, an unnamed source has told Variety that Bam Margera went "AWOL" from the production of Jackass 4 in its early days, and that it was only after some time that they discovered he had checked himself into a rehab facility in Florida. There is also apparently an on-going effort to get Margera further help for what he is currently going through.
Jackass 4 is currently in production, having started filming various sequences back in December 2020. Given that the stars are now 21 years older than when the franchise first began, it's not at all surprising that some of the performers – namely Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O – have already had to make trips to the hospital. The new trade report says that new material is still being filmed, but the project is still on track to make its scheduled release date.
Should everything work out as planned, Paramount Pictures has plans to release Jackass 4 in theaters on September 3 – a little less than 11 years after Jackass 3D arrived on the big screen. Given the fluidity of the cinema marketplace at the moment, things may change, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that this is a film we'll be able to experience with a theater packed with laughing movie-goers in the fall.
