Kevin Smith and Ben Affleck are officially back in each other’s lives, and the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot director took to social media to explain how that reunion ultimately came to be. Smith made his big-screen debut all the way back in 1994, with the ultra-low-budget comedy, Clerks. Proving to be a surprising critical and commercial hit, Smith went on to write and direct such other cult classics as Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Mallrats. Affleck made his debut in the View Askewniverse (as Smith’s world is affectionately known) in the latter before also starring in both of the former. He also reprised some of his earlier roles - and a twisted version of himself - in the highly-meta Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back.

The pair took diverging paths in the years that followed. Affleck went on to such high profile roles as Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman and Justice League, as well as becoming a successful director in his own right, helming such critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning films as Argo. Smith, meanwhile, further cultivated his already-passionate following with various podcasts and stand-up specials, while simultaneously producing passion projects like Tusk and Yoga Hosers. He also made the move to television, directing episodes of both The Flash and Supergirl. Though fans clung to the idea that Affleck and Smith would one day work together again, it seemed increasingly unlikely - making it all the more surprising when Affleck made a cameo in the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot trailer.

Taking to his personal Instagram, Smith shared the story of how Affleck came to be back in his life and part of his new film. The story is a surprisingly emotional one. It is also, as you’d expect from the popular writer/director, one laden with pop culture references and boundless positivity for everybody (including entertainment journalists) that helped to make the reunion possible. Grab your tissues and check out the full story below:

Jay & Silent Bob Reboot will see the two iconic stoners (who debuted in Clerks and have been a recurring Smith feature ever since) venture to Hollywood in order to prevent a movie based on their in-world comic likenesses from being made. The film is set to be a hilarious commentary on the current culture of remakes and reboots - all while being essentially a meta-retelling of the same story from Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. Based on the trailer and Smith’s aforementioned post, it appears that the film will also tie up some threads and make mini-sequels from other previous films.

In that regard, the film will be not too dissimilar from Avengers: Endgame - albeit it a filth-laden and drug-fuelled version as only Smith could conjure. In recent years, Smith has become as known as much for his tearful reactions to films and television episodes as he is his own films. This time, however, it would seem that it’s his turn to bring the tears as well as the laughs in a way not seen since Chasing Amy. Smith’s films aren’t always the most financially successful, but tend to cultivate a level of passion from fans and actors - hence the star-studded cast for this outing.

Fans are already overjoyed to see the pair back together and Affleck once again in the fold. As such, Smith’s story will only serve to further emphasize the emotion that comes from seeing previously close friends finding each other again - not to mention, spark excitement as to what this could mean, if anything, for the future. Either way, it’s a fitting real-life precursor for Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, which is also, according to Smith, one of his most heartfelt films.

More: Watch Every Trailer From SDCC 2019 Right Here

Source: Kevin Smith

  • Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Release Date: 2019-10-15