Ben Affleck Is Up for Appearing in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Despite Fallout with Kevin Smith
Ben Affleck is willing to put some beef aside to reboot a beloved movie franchise.
Months after Kevin Smith opened up about his rumored fall-out with his former BFF, Affleck discussed potentially collaborating with the writer/director on the Jay and Silent Bob reboot that’s in the works.
Asked if two beloved characters from other Smith films — Shannon from Mallrats or Holden from Chasing Amy — would make an appearance in the reboot, Affleck told Collider: “Your guess is a good as mine. I haven’t been asked to make an appearance but you never know, there’s still time. We’ll see. I think if it was up to me, I would rather do Holden than Shannon, but I would defer to Kevin.”
In November, a Twitter user asked Smith, 48, about their relationship, writing, “Sometimes I wonder what really happened between Ben Affleck and Kevin Smith that made them not talk to each other,” tagging both stars’ accounts.
Smith responded, “If I had to guess? It’s because one of us has a big mouth and told too many candid stories that sometimes weren’t his to tell, and the other one is Ben.”
If I had to guess? It’s because one of us has a big mouth and told too many candid stories that sometimes weren’t his to tell, and the other one is Ben. https://t.co/kwj82A20SJ
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) November 26, 2018
In 2017, Smith got Affleck into some hot water claiming to a film festival audience that Affleck had said, “A man kissing another man is the greatest acting challenge an actor can ever face,” while filming 1997’s Chasing Amy. In the romantic comedy, Affleck kisses actor Jason Lewis.
Reacting to Affleck’s widely-reported comments, Evan Rachel Wood tweeted at the time: “Try getting raped in a scene. Also, grow up Ben.”
Smith later reflected on the allegation, telling The Daily Beast, “Out of context, it’s a completely different sentiment. It got him into trouble.”
Affleck, 46, has starred in six films directed by Smith, all of which were released over the course of a decade. Big names of the bunch include Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl and Clerks II, their last collaboration in 2006.
In early 2017, Smith confirmed his growing distance from Affleck after fans were urging him to direct The Batman, which Affleck had signed on to at the time.
“I’m flattered. But 3 things make me directing Batman impossible,” Smith wrote. “1) Haven’t spoken to Ben in years. 2) I made Yoga Hosers 3) Common sense.”
I'm flattered. But 3 things make me directing Batman impossible: 1) Haven't spoken to Ben in years. 2) I made @YogaHosers, 3) Common sense. https://t.co/oTIhA3FtjO
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) January 31, 2017
More recently, Smith said that after he suffered a heart attack in February, Affleck never reached out.
RELATED: Kevin Smith Had a ‘Widowmaker’ Heart Attack: Here’s What That Means
“I didn’t hear from Ben. Which is fine. Maybe he didn’t even hear about it,” the father of one told The Daily Beast. “I think he probably plays a more prominent role in my mythology than I play in his mythology anymore. He was in some of my biggest movies, so in my world he’s still a figure. In his world, I haven’t factored in in god knows how f—ing long … He’s become a massive movie star and a director in his own right … I try honestly to … limit the amount that I do talk about him for that reason. Because I know it always brings him grief or heartache in some way.”
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In his 2018 Showtime standup comedy special Kevin Smith: Silent But Deadly, Smith took a dig at Affleck, likely not helping matters. “It doesn’t take talent at all to work in the movie business,” he said. “You think it takes talent to stand there on a movie set and say ‘I’m Batman’? Ben Affleck does it so I know it don’t take f—ing talent.“
Smith has been teasing a new Jay and Silent Bob film since August 2017, when the actor and filmmaker announced he had written a script for another installment in the popular franchise by sharing an image from his laptop of the first page of a script titled Jay & Silent Bob Reboot.
“This is not a drill!” he wrote. “This is an actual image from my laptop! Yes, Kids, @jayandsilentbob are coming back!”
The characters of Jay and Silent Bob made their film debut in 1994’s Clerks — which Smith also wrote, directed, and co-produced. Subsequent appearances for the duo came throughout the years in Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and 2006’s Clerks 2.
Eventually, the two scored their own film, 2001’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. In 2013, they were together again in the animated feature, Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie.
