1 Year After Kevin Smith Almost Died, ‘Jay and Silent Bob Reboot’ Started Production

We’re gonna start by saying again, for the record, we are so damn glad resident fanboy extraordinaire Kevin Smith didn’t die a year ago today after suffering a heart attack. Smith’s enthusiasm for the things he loves- comics, his family, his art- has always been a driving force of his career, and we are thrilled to see him continuing.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Smith was embarking on the next chapter in the saga of Jay and Silent Bob (the characters brought to life by Jason Mewes and Smith in Clerks, Mallrats, and several other films written and directed by Smith) in a new flick with Saban Films; Jay And Silent Bob Reboot.

In a post to his Instagram, Smith revealed that the date of February 25th 2019 was chosen specifically to kick off production due to the near-death anniversary.

 

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One year ago today, I almost died. So today, I’m living it up on with @jaymewes and Jason Lee on Day 1 of my new flick @jayandsilentbob Reboot! Thanks to @saban_films and Universal for the loot to make this epic, @jordanmonsanto and @destrofilms for making it happen, @jenschwalbach and @harleyquinnsmith for humoring my goofy bullshit one more time, and #jasonmewes for standing beside me all these years while I do the hardest thing I can personally ever do, either in film or in real life: simply shut the fuck up. I couldn’t think of a better scene with which to start the shoot than the return to the Mall with Brodie Bruce. The three of us gathered for a couple hours last night to run the lines and realized we first rehearsed together waaaaay back in the mid-90’s. It may be 24 years later and we may have 6 kids between us, but Jay, Lee and me partied like it was 1995, giggling while adding jokes and finding inflections. The Oscars were on in the background during our practice and I couldn’t help but feel relief when the “In Memoriam” montage ended and I wasn’t in it. We picked 2/25 as the Reboot start date *intentionally*, to celebrate the fact that I did not become Silent Bob forever 365 days ago. But after a blissful couple hours of making pretend with my friends on the set of my 14th film, I’m starting to think I *did* die in that operating room after all. Because what could be more Heavenly than this? #KevinSmith #jayandsilentbob #jayandsilentbobreboot #jasonlee #jaymewes #neworleans #brodiebruce #wwambassador #movie

A post shared by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on Feb 25, 2019 at 12:01pm PST

Smith had posted over the weekend a countdown of sorts to the beginning of production on the film, too:

 

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On Monday morning, a 48 year old man who’s not even supposed to be here today will sneak up into the attic and play with all his favorite toys again. Only 44 hours until @jayandsilentbob Reboot! #KevinSmith #jayandsilentbobreboot #jayandsilentbob #brodiebruce #mall #comics

A post shared by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on Feb 23, 2019 at 9:14am PST

We can’t wait to see what Jay And Silent Bob Reboot has in store, and we’ll let you know what else we hear about the production.