Courtesy of Miramax
Kevin Smith fans have a lot to be excited about. Last month, it was announced by director Kevin Smith that his religious satirical movie Dogma was no longer in the hands of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein and was bought by another production company. According to Smith, the company who purchased the rights reached out to him and Smith is planning to celebrate the movie’s twenty-fifth anniversary with a theater re-release, a new physical media release and Smith going on tour with the movie, likely similar to how he went on tour with recent movies like Clerks III. The movie will also be available to stream in the future. As previously stated on the Movie Nerds when we covered Dogma’s situation, physical copies of the 1999 film are rare and the movie has never been available on a streaming service.
Dogma was the fourth movie Smith directed. Despite the positive reviews and successful box office, the film dealt with a lot of backlash before its release, pushing former Disney CEO Michael Eisner to not want to release the movie. Harvey Weinstein created a new production company to make sure the film would still be released and held onto the rights for years, even after having a fallout with Smith in 2008 and The New York Times article revealing Weinstein has been accused by several women of sexual harassment and abuse. Even after Weinstein was found guilty, he still had the rights. Smith refused to pay Weinstein, who wanted a lot of money.
With Kevin Smith having access to Dogma again, it’s also been confirmed that Smith is working on a script for a second Dogma movie. Smith did mention on X (formerly known as Twitter), that writing a script does not mean a sequel will officially happen but it’s promising news to hear that he wants to work on a new movie. He also said he hasn’t talked to Ben Affleck or Matt Damon about returning for a new film but hopes they reprise their roles as Bartleby and Loki. Likely, Jason Mewes and Smith himself will return as Jay and Silent Bob as they usually do in Smith’s View Askewniverse.
It’s unknown if other Dogma stars like Chris Rock and Salma Hayek will return. With Alan Rickman’s passing in 2016, it’s unknown if his character the Metatron will return or be recast. Another unknown for a Dogma sequel would be Linda Fiorentino returning, as she retired from acting in 2009. Her character Bethany Sloane, also the last scion, was the main protagonist in Dogma. Smith confirmed he didn’t have the best relationship with Fiorentino, even saying he wished actress Janeane Garofalo played Bethany instead on Dogma’s DVD commentary. Smith and Fiorentino did reconcile years later when Smith was recovering from his 2018 heart attack, but the former actress hasn’t been in anything for over fifteen years.
Another unknown will be when the movie comes out if Smith decides to make it. Kevin Smith announced earlier this year that a new Jay and Silent Bob movie is coming out in 2026 called Jay and Silent Bob: Store Wars. Smith also said last month that he plans to still work on a sequel to his 1995 cult classic comedy Mallrats, currently called Twilight of the Mallrats, despite Mallrats star Shannen Doherty passing away this summer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith said he would love to have Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was friends with Shannen, take over the role, with Sarah later saying she was for the idea in a comment on Instagram. There is currently no release date for Twilight of the Mallrats. In 2023, Mallrats actors Ethan Suplee and Joey Lauren Adams confirmed Smith has a script ready to go, but it’s up to Universal Studios to greenlight the movie since they own the rights to the 1995 comedy.
Are you happy Dogma will be available again and could get a sequel? Are you also excited about Kevin Smith’s other upcoming movies? Let us know in the comments below.
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