Kevin Smith has confirmed that he is working on yet another sequel to one of his films, which has been left virtually impossible to see, with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck said to be in talks to star.
The 54-year-old director, who survived a heart attack in 2018, is reportedly in talks for a sequel to his highly controversial 1999 film, Dogma, which he claims had previously resulted in him receiving death threats.
The film follows Affleck and Damon as two cast out angels, Bartleby and Loki, trying to re-enter heaven by exploiting a loophole in the Catholic dogma, that would wash away their sins. However, it would also disprove the concept of God and wipe out existence in the process.
Dogma, which also stars Lina Fiorentino, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock and Jason Lee, caused considerable uproar upon release and was protested against by the Catholic League, denouncing it as blasphemy.
Smith, while speaking at the Vulture Festival on 17 November, as reported by Deadline, said of the sequel plans: “Some people will be like, ‘Don’t f***ing touch it. You’ll ruin it. And I’m here to tell you: I will. I’m f***ing tickled. I found a way in.”
The Clerks director added that he’s confident he can get Damon and Affleck to star in the film. Smith personally helped them get Good Will Hunting made after he presented the script to Harvey Weinstein, something which the pair failed to acknowledge when they won the Oscar for Best Screenplay.
“I have been able to hold that over both their heads for 25 f***ing years, which is why they keep showing up in all the movies,” explained Smith. “Expect a cameo from them - more than a f***ing cameo. The only way we get a Dogma sequel made is if they’re there. So count on those guys being there.”
The original film is now virtually impossible to see, largely due to the controversy surrounding it. The film was released by Miramax, who were owned by Disney at the time and were keen to distance themselves from the scandal.
To resolve the situation, Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob, purchased the rights to Dogma and set up a distribution deal with Lionsgate. The Weinsteins held the rights for years but failed to do anything with the film. Not only is Dogma unavailable on any streaming services but the last physical release was in 2008, when it came out on Blu-Ray.
Smith joked in 2022, that Weinstein is “Holding it hostage. My movie about angels is owned by the devil himself.”
In October, Smith provided a positive update on the predicament. Speaking to That Hashtag Show, he said that the rights have now been purchased by a new distribution company and that a re-release could happen in 2025.
He added that the new deal could inspire “sequels, TV versions, in terms of extending the story. Something we could never do before. So, exciting man. And all those people who worked in it are still viable”.
