Kevin Smith

At 53 years old, Kevin Smith has this physical status:

Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, public speaker, comic book writer, and podcaster.

He came to fame with the low-budget comedy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and starred in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob.

Both Jay and Silent Bob appeared in Smith's sequel films Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay, Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II, which were mainly set in New Jersey.

Although not strictly chronological, the films often featured crossover plot elements, character traces, and a shared canon named after his production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier. Smith has mostly made films in the horror genre, including Red State (2011) and the comedy horror films Tusk (2014) and Yoga Hosers (2016), two in a proposed series of three such films set in Canada titled the True North trilogy.

He has also worked as a producer-for-hire for scripts he did not write, including the buddy cop action comedy Cop Out (2010) and numerous television series episodes. He wrote and directed Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, a sequel to the original Jay and Silent Bob films, in Red Bank, New Jersey, which is part of the reality television show Comic Book Men (2012–2018).

He also hosts Spoilers, a movie-review television show.

Smith co-hosts several shows on his own SModcast Podcast Network, including SModcast, Fatman Beyond, and the live show Hollywood Babble-On.

Smith is well-known for his participation in long, amusing Q&A session videos that are often filmed for DVD release, beginning with An Evening with Kevin Smith.

Early life

Kevin Patrick Smith was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, on August 2, 1970, the son of Grace (née Schultz), a homemaker), and Donald E. Smith (1936–2003), a postal worker. He has two siblings, Virginia, and Donald Jr., the younger brother. He was born in a Catholic household in Highlands, a nearby clamming town.

Smith's childhood was planned around his father's late shifts at the post office. His father grew to hate his work, which greatly influenced Smith, who recalls his father's finding it impossible to get up and go to work on some days. Smith promised not to work at anything that he did not like.

Smith was a student at Henry Hudson Regional High School, streamed basketball games, and produced a Saturday Night Live-style sketch comedy. He morphed into a comedic observer of life in an effort to socialize with colleagues and girls as an overweight teen. Smith attended The New School in New York City after high school but did not graduate. When Smith was employed at a youth center, they became friends after finding a common interest in comic books.

Personal life

Smith moved to Los Angeles after the success of his first films, but he was homesick because he was far away from Red Bank, New Jersey. In Time magazine, he dated actress Joey Lauren Adams and expressed his desire to marry her. Smith and Adams' relationship was put into jeopardy as a result of their collaboration on Chasing Amy, and the two had a tense discussion on the film's set. They were founded in June 1997.

Smith is married to Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, whom he interviewed for USA Today. They married at Skywalker Ranch on April 25, 1999. He photographed her in Playboy for a nude pictorial made up of images by various celebrities. Harley Quinn Smith Smith, the couple's daughter, was born on June 26, 1999, and was named after the character from Batman: The Animated Series. Smith bought a house in the Hollywood Hills from his longtime friend Ben Affleck in 2003.

Though raised Catholic, Smith began to become disillusioned with his faith in his early 20s and came to see Catholic Mass as "dry and lip-service." Smith, seeking out education, talked to a priest who compared faith to liquid filling a shot glass, and discovered that as a person gets older, the glass becomes ineffective as an adult, and that the same information that pleases a person as a child can be insufficient as an adult. Smith investigated Christianity deeply, researched other faiths, read the Biblical apocrypha, and contemplated joining a Pentecostal synagogue. He conceived of his film Dogma during this period, which features characters using the priest's shot glass metaphor. Although Smith attended Mass regularly as 1998, he said on "Back to the Well," a reflection on the Clerks II film, that now he only goes to Mass on the day and the day before he starts filming, and not the day before it premieres. Smith told the BBC that he believes in God, adding, "Proof God is that I have a career." On the other hand, he said in a 2015 interview that he had left both Catholicism and a belief in God behind, implying that his dog's death prompted him to do so. He said he found that dogs do not have religious convictions after the dog's death. This in turn led him to believe that faith was meant to console children who were afraid of death. Smith, a young man, found that he no longer needed religion if his dog did not. Smith said he "believes in people" when asked about his religious convictions in 2017.

Smith is a huge hockey fan and he supports the New Jersey Devils. He is also a fan of the Edmonton Oilers.

Smith never smoked before his debut film, Clerks, in which he used the cigarettes as a prop but did not inhale. After working with Seth Rogen on Zack and Miri Make a Porno, he quit smoking cigarettes in 2008.

Smith has a history of yo-yo dieting. On meeting his wife, he lost 50 pounds (23 kg). During the production of Clerks II in 2005, he went from 319 pounds (145 kg) to 269 pounds (122 kg). He weighed in excess of 400 pounds (180 kg) in 2008. In 2014, after watching Fed Up, he cut sugar from his diet and started juice fasts, lowering his weight from 330 pounds (150 kg) to 240 pounds (110 kg).

Smith suffered a serious heart attack at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, on February 25, 2018. An ambulance rushed him to the Glendale Adventist Medical Center for emergency care, from which he recovered. Following the incident, his doctor told him he needed to shed another 50 pounds (23 kg). He adopted a science-based diet developed by scientist Ray Cronise, which includes eating a single plant-based diet (in Smith's case, potatoes) with no added salt or fat for two weeks, then gradually increasing food intake but remaining on an all-vegan diet. After Jillette's own health scare, he had heard about magician Penn Jillette's weight loss on that diet in 2015. Smith had already lost 17 pounds (7.7 kg) nine days into the diet nine days into it. He had lost 58 pounds (26 kg) in just eight months, going from 256 pounds (116 kg) to 198 pounds (90 kg). He joined Weight Watchers as a paid spokesperson for the brand. Smith continues to eat a vegan diet as of 2022.

Smith is co-founder of the 'The Wayne Foundation,' a former charity that helps women affected by human trafficking and exploitation. He sold some of his rarely used jerseys off for the charity in February 2019.

In 2018, Vancouver Film School announced three 'Kevin Smith Scholarships' in Acting, Writing, and Film Production, which were covering full time. Smith funded thirteen partial scholarships. He personally selected the recipients from over nine hundred applicants.

Source

Career

Smith saw Richard Linklater's comedy Slacker on his 21st birthday. Smith, who was inspired to become a filmmaker and film where he lived, was influenced by Linklater's choice and shooting in Austin, Texas rather than on a soundstage in a large city. "It was the movie that made me chuckle; it was the one that ignited a fire under me," the film that made me think, "Hey, I could be a filmmaker." "I had never seen a movie like that before in my life," I said. He assembled a collection of independent filmmakers such as Linklater, Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, and Hal Hartley to admire.

Smith attended Vancouver Film School for four months, where he met longtime collaborators Scott Mosier and Dave Klein. Smith was left halfway through the course, knowing he was smart enough to continue and saving money for his first film over them.

Smith returned to New Jersey and regained his old job at a convenience store in Leonardo. Clerks was set at the store by the man, who borrowed the a-day-in-life style from Spike Lee's film Do the Right Thing. Smith, who sold his much-anticipated comic book set, made the film out at $27,575, while saving money by casting friends and acquaintances in most roles. Clerks were screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994, where it received the Filmmaker's Prize. Following the screening, Miramax executive Harvey Weinstein invited Smith to join him at his table, where he offered to buy the movie. It went to the Cannes International Film Festival in May 1994, where it claimed both the Prix de la Jeunesse and the International Critics' Week Prize. The film, which was released in two cities in October 1994, has since expanded to 50 markets, but never on more than 50 screens at any given time. Despite the limited availability, it was a critical and financial success, earning $3.1 million. The film received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA for sexually violent words. Miramax has recruited Alan Dershowitz to sue the MPAA. A jury of members of the National Association of Theatre Owners reversed the MPAA's decision at an appeals screening, and the film was given an R rating. The film had a major influence on the independent film community. It is considered one of the two most influential film debuts in the 1990s, alongside The Brothers McMullen, according to producer and author John Pierson.

Mallrats, Jason Lee's first film as a leading man, did not do as well as expected. Despite playing on more than 500 screens, it suffered on a critical drubbing and raised only $2.2 million at the box office. Mallrats were more popular in the home video game market.

Chasing Amy, 1997, was widely praised as Smith's best film, and Quentin Tarantino called Quentin Tarantino's "a quantum leap forward" for Smith. Jason Lee, Joey Lauren Adams, and Ben Affleck, a director of Mallrats, made two Independent Spirit Awards (for Screenplay and Supporting Actor for Lee). Members of the lesbian community criticized the film, who believed that it merely needed to find the right man. Smith, who is gay, found this accusation concerning as he attempted to be a pro-LGBT filmmaker, not sexual desire, which has discouraged more people from speaking out about bisexuality.

Dogma (1999), Smith's fourth film, starred an all-star cast and was mired in controversy. The Catholic League had criticized a Catholic-themed comedy starring Will Hunting Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, as well as Chris Rock, Salma Hayek, George Carlin, Linda Fiorentino, and Lee and Mewes. The film premiered at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, and it was out of contention. The $10 million film, which was released on 800 screens in November 1999, earned $30 million.

Smith then honed the spotlight on the two characters who had appeared in supporting roles in his previous four films. With many familiar faces from those four films returning, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back featured an all-star cast. Affleck and Damon appear in a parody of Good Will Hunting as themselves filming a mock sequel. The $20 million film attracted $30 million at the box office and mixed critiques from critics.

Smith's first film outside of the View Askewniverse, Jersey Girl, starring Affleck, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, and Raquel Castro, Smith's first film outside of the View Askewniverse, opened a new direction in Smith's career. Because it co-starred Affleck and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, the film took a critical beating. Smith extensively reedited the film in order to keep Lopez's presence to a few scenes, but the film did not do well at the box office. It was estimated at $35 million but the company earned $36 million.

Smith revisited the Dante and Randal characters from his first film in his final visit to the View Askewniverse in 2006. The film, which had been roundly mocked before its release, received critical feedback as well as two awards (the Audience Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Orbit Dirtiest Mouth Award at the MTV Movie Awards). It was Smith's third visit to the Cannes International Film Festival, where it received an eight-minute standing ovation. Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Rosario Dawson, Mewes, Jennifer Schwalbach, and Smith, reprising his role as Silent Bob, received $25 million.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno was first unveiled in March 2006 as Smith's second non-Askewniverse film. The film began shooting in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, on January 18, 2008, and was finished on March 15, 2008. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks play the title characters who choose to make a low-budget pornographic film to solve their money problems. It was announced on October 31, 2008, and it suffered with many problems before being classified as a "R" rating.

Rogen said:

Smith passed the film through the MPAA's appeals process and received an R rating without having to make any changes. Zack and Miri Make a Porno was described as a box-office "flop" in the movie. "Tepid media buzz for a movie with the tag PORNO" had harmed it. Smith's and Weinstein's business relationship in the aftermath of the film's success became "frayed." With $10,682,000 from 2,735 theaters, Zack and Miri came in second second, behind High School Musical 3: Senior Year, an average of $3,906. Rogen's "best box-office opening ever" was "bankable." Smith said in a Huffington Post interview with Katla McGlynn:

Smith had signed on to direct A Couple of Dicks, a buddy-cop comedy written by the Cullen Brothers and starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, first revealed in 2009. It was originally titled A Couple of Cops, but it was reverted to its original name due to poor reception before finally settling on the name Cop Out due to controversies surrounding the original title. The film, shot from June to August 2009, stars two veteran cops who are searching for a missing vintage baseball card and was released on February 26, 2010, to poor reviews; Smith's first film was not written. At the box office, Cop Out emerged at number two and was mired in controversies, mainly due to rumors about Smith and Willis' relationship. Smith's last time he worked with a major studio, he was able to return to his roots in independent film.

Smith began a production on Red State, which was largely influenced by the Westboro Baptist Church and its pastor, Fred Phelps, in September 2010. Weinstein and his brother Bob, who had been active in Smith's films but not Mallrats and Cop Out, declined to help Red State. Michael Parks, John Goodman, and Melissa Leo appear in the film. Following its debut screening at Sundance, Smith said he'd give the rights to the $4 million film off to a controversial festival, but instead, he retained the film's ownership and self-distributed it under the SModcast Pictures banner. A half-dozen members of the church, as well as many more who protested Westboro members, protested the premiere in January 2011. Smith explained his decision as a way to return to an age when advertising a film did not cost four times as much as the film itself, earning just $1,104,682, and opened to poor reviews; the critical consensus (according to Rotten Tomatoes) was "Red State is an audacious and brash affair that ultimately does not have valid scares or thrills." Smith said in April 2011 that Red State had cut back by earning $1 million on the first leg of the tour, out of a handful of international sales and $3 million from a domestic distribution agreement for VOD.

Before Red State, Smith said he would soon drop from directing and that his last film would be Clerks III. However, he said in December 2013 that he would continue to make films, but only ones that were uniquely his, as opposed to generic ones that "anybody could make."

Smith and Mosier wrote Tusk, a horror film based on a tale about a man who rents out a room in his house for free if the respondent dresses as a walrus for two hours per day. The project began pre-production in September 2013 and was shot in November of that year. It was released on September 19, 2014, but it received mixed feedback.

Smith wrote the script for a spin-off of the film, which he titled Yoga Hosers, before Tusk's appearance. The film began filming in August 2014 and was released in 2016. With Johnny Depp also playing his inspector from the previous film, Smith's daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, and Lily-Rose Depp reprise their two minor characters from Tusk.

Smith revealed at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con that he had scripted Moose Jaws, which he referred to as "Jaws with a moose," and that it was supposed to be the third and final film in his True North trilogy.

Smith wrote and directed one segment of the 2016 horror anthology film Holidays, in which each segment takes place during a different holiday.

Smith started shooting KillRoy Was Here, a horror film based on the graffiti phenomenon, in June 2017. Smith co-wrote the script with Andrew McElfresh, marking the first time he shared writing credit. It's a retooling of their Anti-Claus film, which was initially cancelled after the release of Krampus due to the two stories' similarities. The film crew was mainly made up of students of the Ringling College of Art and Design, with shootings continuing throughout every semester break.

Smith, rather than having difficulties finding Clerks 3 or Mallrats 2 produced, decided to write and direct a Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back sequel instead. It was supposed to be filmed in September 2017, but the shoot was postponed until February and March 2019. On July 18, 2019, the first trailer for the film was released. Smith also announced a tour to accompany the film.

Smith revealed on Instagram on October 1, 2019 that Clerks III was officially underway, and that Jeff Anderson, who had resigned, had agreed to reprise his position as Randal. "It'll be a film that brings an end to a story." It'll be a movie about how you're never too old to change your life completely. It'll be a film about how a decades-long friendship finally confronts the future. It's a film that takes us right back to the start, a return to the cradle of civilization in the great state of #newjersey. Jeff and @briancohalloran will appear in the film, with me and Jay in supporting roles.

And it'll be a movie called CLERKS III!"

On September 13, 2022, the film was released.

All of Smith's films until 2008 were funded and/or distributed by Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob, with the exception of Mallrats. Smith's relationship with Harvey Weinstein sour in 2008 due to Zack and Miri Make a Porno's financial difficulties, which Smith attributes to a lack of advertising. However, they continued to discuss potential support for other Smith projects, and The Weinstein Company co-produced Smith's 2016 talk show Geeking Out. In Weinstein's honor, Smith also named the independent production firm he created for the 2011 film "The Harvey Boys." Smith is one of the writer-directors whose career Weinstein nurtured, a group that also includes Quentin Tarantino and David O. Russell.

When Smith was alerted of his assault on Rose McGowan, he severed his professional ties with Weinstein. Smith said on Twitter that he was "ashamed" of his relationship with Weinstein shortly after allegations of rape and sexual assault surfaced in October 2017. "My entire career is tied up with the guy," he said on his Hollywood Babble-On podcast, adding, "No fucking movie is worth all this." "I sat out there talking about this guy like he was a hero, like he was my friend, like he was my father," Weinstein mumbled. He pledged to give all of his future residuals from his Weinstein-produced films to the nonprofit group Women in Film, which promotes the inclusion of more women in film production. Smith later revealed that the residuals from Weinstein-funded films may be lower than expected due to the decreasing success of his earlier films; rather, he pledged $2,000 a month to Women in Film.

Smith regularly casts the same characters in his film roles. Jason Mewes has appeared in nine of his films, his partner Jennifer Schwalbach Smith in eight, and Ben Affleck in seven.

Smith was hired by New Line in 1997 to rewrite Overnight Delivery, which was supposed to be a blockbuster teen film. Joey Lauren Adams, Smith's then-girlfriend, almost took the role of Ivy in the film rather than the female lead in Chasing Amy. In April 1998, she faded out to Reese Witherspoon, and Overnight Delivery was then brought a little later. Smith was not praised for his service. He has claimed that the only scene in which he really used his dialogue was the opening scene, which also includes a mention of longtime Smith friend Bryan Johnson.

Smith was also a uncredited screenwriter on the 2000 comedy-drama film Coyote Ugly.

Smith has been a regular contributor to Arena magazine. Miramax Books published Silent Bob Speaks, Smith's first book, a collection of recently published essays (most from Arena) debating pop culture, film industry, and Smith's personal life in 2005. My Boring-Ass Life: Kevin Smith's Uncomfortably Candid Diary, published by Titan Books, was another collection of previously published essays (this time blogs from Smith's website silentbobspeaks.com). On the New York Times Best Sellers List, 32 people appear. On September 29, 2009, Titan published Shootin' the Sh*t, Smith's third book. The Best of the SModcast is a comic book.

Smith's early forays into comic books dealt with earlier established View Askew characters, who were released by Oni Press. In Oni Double Feature No. 4, he wrote a short Jay and Silent Bob story about Walt Flanagan's dog. In Oni Double Feature #12, they followed it with a Bluntman and Chronic story. He followed these with a sequence of Clerks comics. Clerks: The Comic Book was the first to cover Randal's attempts to corner the Star Wars toy market. Clerks: Holiday Special, where Dante and Randal discover that Santa Claus lives in a apartment between the Quick Stop and RST Video. Clerks: The Lost Scene, showing what happened inside Poston's Funeral Parlor. This tale was later developed in the TV series style and included as an extra on the 10th Anniversary Clerks DVD.

Smith then produced Chasing Dogma, which tells the tale of Jay and Silent Bob from the films Chasing Amy and Dogma. He has also written Bluntman and Chronic, which appears to be a compilation of the three issues of Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards' (of Chasing Amy). It features a color reprinting of Oni Double Feature No.'s story. McNeil and Edwards' appearance at 12 was ostensibly early in the event. These tales were collected in Tales From the Clerks (Graphitti Designs, ISBN 0-936211-78-4), which also includes a new Clerks tale tying into the Clerks 2 story and the tale from Oni Double Feature #1. They were previously published by Image Comics in three separate volumes, one for Clerks, Chasing Dogma, and Bluntman and Chronic. Smith received a Harvey Award in 1999 for Best New Talent in comic books.

Smith wrote "Guardian Devil," an eight-issue story arc of Daredevil for Marvel Comics illustrated by Joe Quesada in 1999. Oliver Queen's return from the dead and the unveiling of Mia Dearden, a teen girl who would become Speedy after Smith's tenure ended, brought him to a 15-issue run on Green Arrow for DC Comics.

Smith appeared in two miniseries, Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do and Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target, which both of which debuted in 2002. The former was six issues long, but problems arose when the third issue was published two months after the initial release date had been set two months ahead of the intended release date. As a result, the final issues were postponed for at least three years, prompting Marvel to issue a "in case you missed it" reprinting of the first three issues as a single book until the remaining issues were published. Smith's delay in part was due to Smith's work on Jersey Girl and Clerks II, which caused him to postpone the miniseries until the films were finished. In 2002, he was revealed as the author of an ongoing Black Cat series and The Amazing Spider-Man, but the scheme was rescheduled so that Smith could begin his third Spider-Man series, which was launched in 2004 by Mark Millar. In 2005, Spider-Man/Black Cat was completed, but Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target is still unfinished, with only one issue being released.

Smith created limited series Batman: Cacophony, with art by friend Walt Flanagan, which spanned November 2008 to January 2009. Onomatopoeia (a Smith character created by Smith during his tenure at Green Arrow) was among the villains on the show, as were Victor Zsasz, Maxie Zeus, and Victor Zsasz. In their Hardcover Graphic Books section, Batman: Cacophony's trade paperback became a New York Times Bestseller.

The Widening Gyre, a six-issue Batman miniseries designed by Walt Flanagan, was released in 2010. The series was originally intended as 12 issues, with a long break planned between issues six and seven. Smith and Flanagan's work on their reality show, Comic Book Men, pushed this planned break longer than anticipated. In the interim, it was decided that the remaining issues would be released as part of Batman: Bellicosity, but it has yet to be announced.

Smith also wrote a Green Hornet story for Dynamite Entertainment in 2010 based on an undeveloped script he wrote for a Green Hornet film that never came to fruition.

Dynamite Entertainment unveiled Smith's The Bionic Man, which was based on a 1998 script, was criticized by Universal for being "more like a comic book than a film."

Smith and Ralph Garman produced a six-issue Batman '66 crossover starring Batman and Green Hornet, Bat 66 Meets the Green Hornet.

Dark Horse and Smith would team up to publish the books of Secret Stash Press, a Smith-owned publishing company. Maskerade, written by Smith and Andy Mcelfresh, and Quick Stops, set within the View Askewniverse are among the first two books in the series.

Smith shot two Coca-Cola television commercials in New Jersey in 1998.

Smith and Mosier developed Clerks, an animated television series based on Clerks. The Animated Series, published in 2000. Only the first two episodes of ABC in May 2000 were shown before the series was cancelled due to poor ratings. In 2001, six of the six episodes were released on DVD.

Smith produced and starred in a series of commercials for MTV in the mid-1990s, alongside Jason Mewes, in which they reprised their roles as Jay and Silent Bob. In 1998, he branded Mewes as "Gary Lamb – Ground Activist" in a string of Nike commercials. He shot commercials for Diet Coke in the same year. He oversaw Star Wars toy commercials for Hasbro two years ago. He has also produced and appeared in Panasonic commercials. He shot a public service announcement for the Declare Yourself group, which promotes youth voter registration in 2004. These advertisements pushed Jay and Silent Bob out of their "semi-retirement" states.

Smith produced a short film called The Flying Car on February 27, 2002.

Smith was the pilot for The CW supernatural comedy series Reaper. It was described as "less Brimstone or Dead Like Me" and more like Shaun of the Dead than anything else" by the author. He said he took the position because he had always wanted to control something he did not write, but never had a desire to do it on the big screen.

Smith created and appeared in the AMC reality television series Comic Book Men, which is set inside Smith's comic book store, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey. The program ran for seven seasons, from 2012 to 2018.

On The Comedy Network in Canada, a second series of Spoilers aired.

Smith has produced three episodes of The Flash ("The Runaway Dinosaur"), "Null and Annoyed"), 4 episodes of Supergirl ("Supergirl Lives"), "Distant Sun," "Distant Sun," "Bunker Hill"), and 3 episodes of The Goldbergs ("The Dynamic Duo"), as well as "Our Perfect Strangers" and "Our Perfect Strangers."

Smith was confirmed to write, direct, and produce a TV series based on Image Comics' title Sam and Twitch for BBC America in February 2017.

Smith and Dave Willis, creators of Marvel Comics' Howard the Duck for Hulu, were announced in February 2019. The Howard the Duck series was cancelled in January 2020.

In the episode "Plagiarized," Smith's guest star appeared on the Nickelodeon sitcom Warped! Smith tells the lead characters what his next film will be like, and the two leads then suspect Smith of stolen their similar idea and try to discourage him.

Smith co-wrote a script for a pending Superman film that was tentatively called Superman Lives in 1996. Tim Burton was hired to lead and brought his own team to write the script, but he was fired from the project when Tim Burton was hired to direct. (Burton's attempt was later cancelled as well.) At a Q&A session at Clark University on the 2002 DVD An Evening With Kevin Smith, Smith discussed his experience working on the script. He said the overall experience was positive, as he is a fan of Superman and was compensated fairly. However, he outlined a number of unusual requests made by producer Jon Peters, including that Superman not be seen flying or wearing tights, and that he should confront a giant spider at the end of the film. Smith later reported that he went to see Peters' 1999 film Wild West, and was shocked to see a massive mechanical spider at the end of the film, presumably Peters' handiwork. Smith's account of his encounter gave rise to a life of its own, with film critic A.O. It's "extraordinary," according to Scott of The New York Times. Smith appears in the 2007 direct-to-DVD animated film Superman: Doomsday, as an onlooker in a crowd that responds to this anecdote: Smith scoffs, "Yeah, we really needed him to beat that giant spider!" Heh.

Lame!"

Smith was supposed to write Fletch Won, a prequel to the Chevy Chase film Fletch, and was supposed to direct with Jason Lee in the lead role, but the efforts came to nothing. Smith cited Miramax's box-office appeal as a cause for the film's demise, although Smith said Harvey Weinstein often refused it personally or suggested he focus more on the disguises of the character in a case similar to Austin Powers. For the first time, Ben Affleck was considered for the role, with Chase framing the story as the narrator, reflecting on his early days.

Smith wrote a screenplay for a film version of The Green Hornet in 2004 and announced that he planned to direct it. The scheme came to an end after the poor box office of Jersey Girl's poor box office; the film was later turned into a Green Hornet comic book miniseries. (The Green Hornet, a live-action film version, was released in 2011, with no involvement from Smith.)

Smith would write and direct an episode of Heroes spin-off Heroes: Origins, but it was cancelled due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike.

Smith planned to direct a hockey drama based on Warren Zevon's album "Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)" (the Hockey Song). Mitch Albom, a writer who worked with Smith on the project, co-written the song about a hockey player well-known for fighting in the rink. Smith revealed at the 2011 Sundance premiere of Red State that Hit Somebody would be the last film he directed, but that he will continue to write in other media. Hit Somebody: Home and Hit Somebody: Away, a two-part film released in August 2011, but it later became a R-rated R and part 1 was rated PG-13, and part 2 was rated R. Smith revealed in December 2012 that Hit Somebody would be a six-part miniseries on an as-yet unknown network because of funding problems. Smith revealed in March 2015 that Hit Somebody would film from September to Christmas 2015, but this did not happen.

Smith said on March 12, 2015 that he would film Clerks III in May 2015, then Moose Jaws and Anti-Claus in early 2016 (a tale influenced by the Krampus tradition), which Smith announced the next day.

Smith said on April 8, 2015, that Mallrats 2 will be his next film: "We're talking about shooting 'Clerks III' this summer, and then we'll get to 'Mallrats' in the beginning of 2016." And then it soared into 2015, where we were going to shoot 'Clerks' and then hopefully 'Mallrats' before the year's end. But now, when based on a fucking mall that we all adore that will be closing, the hottest item in the store is 'Mallrats.' So 'Mallrats 2.' is the next fucking movie I'm making.' The majority of the original cast (16 of the 18) has signed on to appear in the sequel. Smith confirmed in June that because Universal has the rights to the Mallrats title, a sequel will not be produced; rather, it will be turned into a Universal Television 10-episode television series. He also announced that the film's entire cast will reprise their roles. Smith revealed in August that he had ended a collaboration with Universal Television to market the series on televisions and streaming platforms.

Smith wrapped up production on a pilot episode for a proposed half-hour comedy series, Hollyweed. He wrote and directed the pilot, which starred Smith and Donnell Rawlings, as well as Kristin Bauer watley, Frankie Shaw, Ralph Garman, Ralph Garman, Adam Brody, Hina Abdullah, Pete Pietrangeliand, and Harley Quinn Smith. The pilot was not found on the ground. It was announced in July 2018 as the inaugural pilot on Rivit TV, in the hopes of being funded as a web series.

Smith revealed in May 2016 that he was adapting the 1984 film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension for television broadcast by MGM, and that he and the company were selling it to television networks. In July 2016, it was revealed that Amazon Studios was close to closing down a deal to produce the series, but Smith said on Facebook Live Stream in November 2016, that if they wanted to come back on board if they wanted him.

Smith is best known for his appearances as Silent Bob in Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II. He appeared in the horror film Scream 3 as a cameo performer, and was included alongside Jason Mewes in several Degrassi: The Next Generation episodes, including a special version of himself.

In a Showtime television series pilot called "Manchild," Smith starred Paul, a cynical divorced man, filmed in December 2006. It was not picked up by the network and not discovered by the network.

Smith appeared in several films, including Drawing Flies, Vulgar, and Big Helium Dog, from 1995 to 1999.

He appeared in Jeff Anderson's film Now You Know in 2001.

Smith appeared in the film Daredevil as coroner Jack Kirby. In the CGI cartoon Doogal, he voiced the Moose.

Smith appeared in three episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation, a Canadian-made teen drama set in early 2005. He wrote his own dialogue for the episodes. Smith, a lifelong fan of the original Degrassi series Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, also mentions them in some of his early films. Eh, who plays a fictionalized version of himself, returned to work on the fictional film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian. All three episodes were found on DVD Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi. In two episodes of the following season, Smith and Mewes returned to Degrassi for the movie's premiere in Toronto. Smith appeared in Degrassi Goes Hollywood, a 2009 made-for-TV film.

Smith appeared in a number of films in 2007, including Jennifer Garner's appearance in Catch and Release and As Sam, a hacker, and appearing as The Warlock, a hacker in the fourth installment of the Die Hard franchise, Live Free or Die Hard. He appeared in friend and fellow writer Richard Kelly's Southland Tales, in which he played legless conspiracy theorist General Simon Theory at the end of the year. Smith appeared in Bottoms Up with co-star Paris Hilton in the same year as a chef on the CGI film TMNT and was seen as Rusty (a friend of lead Jason Mewes).

Smith appeared in the second season premiere of the sitcom Joey, as himself and as Silent Bob behind the end credits; 2000, episode "Black, White, and Blue"), Duck Dodgers (2003, episode "Black, White, and Blue) and Yes, Dear (2004, as himself and as Silent Bob behind the end credits). He appeared in the second episode of season two of Veronica Mars as a store clerk. Smith watched the show's first season and raved about it in his "online diary," describing it as one of the finest shows in television history.

In Superman: Doomsday as a bystander, Smith appears as a bystander. On the Flash episode, "Null and Annoyed," he also appeared as "Bob the Security Guard" alongside Jason Mewes as "Jay the Security Guard."

Smith appeared in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, a video game. He also appears as a playable character.

In Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Zombies, Smith appears as himself as a cameo and a playable character in the map, Rave in the Redwoods.

He appeared in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract from the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series in 2017.

In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Smith appeared onscreen, as well as an on-screen cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Smith appeared in five Q&A documentaries, including an Evening With Kevin Smith (2004), Sold out (2006): Kevin Smith: A Threevening with Kevin Smith (2004), Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40 (2010), Burn in Hell (2012). Both five children have been released on DVD, and the last two were also broadcast on Epix's cable channel Epix.

The first is a collection of film appearances at American colleges, while the sequel was shot at two Q&A shows held in Toronto and London. On Smith's 37th and 40th birthdays, respectively, the third and fourth were shot in Red Bank, New Jersey at the Count Basie Theater. The fifth film at the Paraphrasedoutput was shot in Austin, Texas, at the Paraphrasedoutput. Sony Home Video brought out the first two DVD sets, while the Weinstein Company took out the third.

Kevin Smith, the comedy special, premiered on the cable television network Showtime in 2018 and was later released to DVD.

Stan Lee of Marvel Comics appears in Marvel & Now: Stan Lee and Joe Quesada, hosted by Kevin Smith. The film is similar to the Evening with Kevin Smith series. The Hero Initiative, a charitable group that assists wounded or elderly comic book designers, is a beneficiary of the film's proceeds.

Smith returned to the show for monthly segments after being on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in August 2001 to promote Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. His "Roadside Attractions" segments included him traveling around the country, including Howe Caverns in upstate New York and the Fish Market in Seattle. At least 12 of these segments were broadcast, and Smith continued to appear on the program to introduce the pre-taped pieces. Five of the segments were also included on the Jersey Girl DVD.

Smith appeared on the 2006 mtvU program Sucks Less with Kevin Smith. The show gives college students ideas for activities on the weekends.

In 2006, Smith guest appeared on Ebert & Roeper, replacing Roger Ebert, who was recovering from thyroid cancer therapy. These scenes were particularly noteworthy for Smith and Richard Roeper's discussions of certain films, with Smith often quoting Roeper's critical analysis of Jersey Girl to dismiss his film's analysis. Smith likened Craig Brewer's Black Snake Moan to William Faulkner's on one appearance.

Smith was one of the interview subjects in This Film Is Not Rated, a 2006 documentary about the Motion Picture Association of America's method of rating films. Smith discussed why Jersey Girl received an R rating on the basis of a discussion between two characters in the film about masturbation, which MPAA head Joan Graves told Smith that she would not be comfortable with her 16-year-old daughter watching. Smith's response was to ask if Graves' daughter had not already masturbated or learned about masturbation, arguing that his film was not telling 16-year-olds anything they did not already knew.

Smith co-hosted Geeking Out, a late night talk show hosted by AMC and The Weinstein Company, which premiered in July 2016 and included San Diego Comic-Con with 8 subsequent episodes running weekly.

In February 2019, he made his second appearance on The Big Bang Theory, alongside fellow guests, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, William Shatner, and Joe Manganiello in a storyline in which the two main characters, Wil Wheaton, arrived together at the home of recurring star Wil Wheaton to play Dungeons and Dragons. As he joins Wil Wheaton on a podcast, he appears in season 8 episode 20, "The Fortification Project."

On November 16, 2019, Amazon Prime Minister Kevin Smith explains "Bonus: Kevin Smith explains The Expanse" as a forerunner to series 4 of The Expanse, in which Kevin helps explain the sequence that occurred during the first three seasons. It was posted on YouTube two days later.

Smith's longest Q&A session took place at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, on April 2, 2005. The sold-out festival lasted more than seven hours and took place from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. (which was actually 4 a.m.) Following the Q&A, he opened Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash for a meet-and-greet with the many remaining audience members, which culminated about 6:30 a.m. Smith then hopped on a plane and did another Q&A at the Raue Center for the Performing Arts in Crystal Lake, Illinois, that night. Planned lasted just over five hours, and it came just after 1 a.m. Central time.

Smith made sold-out appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House in 2010.

Smith also has a website, The View Askewniverse, which first appeared on line in late 1995. He also has "My Boring-Ass Life," whose contents were published in a book by the same name. MoviePoopShoot.com, the fictional website of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back's fictional website, was launched in 2002. It was called Quick Stop Entertainment and was the home of SModcast before it was sold and SModcast moved to SModcast.com, which also handles other SModcast network podcasts in early 2010.

Smith and Scott Mosier launched SModcast, a weekly comedy podcast, on February 5, 2007. SModcast Internet Radio (S.I.R) in 2010 and an internet television station SModcast Internet Television (S.I.T.) have since evolved into the SModcast podcast network, which began in 2010 and has since evolved to SModcast Internet Radio (S.I.R.) in 2011. In 2012, the UK voted for a return to the United States.

Smith premiered his Hulu-exclusive weekly series Spoilers on June 4, 2012, where Smith takes a group of people to a new film and asks them to reflect on what they've seen. Other segments on the program include interviews with celebrities and the "Criterion Lounge," where Smith addresses the Criterion Collection film available on DVD and the Hulu Plus service.

Smith began a Fatman on YouTube on December 14, 2015.

Smith and Jason Mewes launched the web series "What's in the Box" in late 2015. Via the website's subscription service, you can view the Screen Junkies website.

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