Kevin Smith is a filmmaker that has defined his career with a certain type of movie, and he has rarely strayed from staying true to this mantra of making the movies he wants to make in the way he wants to make them. That means, despite many fans desperately wanting him to deliver his long-awaited Dogma sequel, Smith has been distracted by a completely new project instead.
Speaking to MovieWeb, Smith discussed his plans for Dogma 2, and then explained why a new secret project sidelined the religious sequel despite the fact that he really wants to complete both projects. Smith said:
“I’ve been enjoying [writing Dogma 2], man, but I did put it aside because I started writing something else. There was an internal conflict I had with the kid in me that was like, ‘No, we’re never going to do a Dogma sequel.’ But he reared his head, and suddenly I put it to the side, rather than abandon it, and listened to that kid. And that kid wanted to write something like, I don’t know why, but he wanted to write something that he referred to as “classier.” Not that a Dogma sequel wouldn’t be classy, but it is a follow-up to Dogma. You know, it’s an impression of an impression. Then the kid was like, start writing this f-cking thing, because you’ve never done this before. And so he won, and I’m working on that at the moment before I get to go back and enjoy a Dogma sequel.”
What Is Kevin Smith’s Secret New Movie Project?
While Smith has become known for movies like Clerks, Mallrats, and, of course, Dogma, the project that would not allow him to let it go is something a bit different, and also one that “smells expensive:” something that Smith does not really do. He said:
“It’s a period piece. This one is, you know, you’ve got to recreate a f-cking world and stuff. And I hate sh-t like that because it just smells expensive. But I’m trying to be smart about it, because it takes place in Berkeley, California, and in Hollywood, and a lot of the places are still around, you know, because of, like, preservation and sh-t. Still, if you point a camera in one direction, it could be 1954 to 1961 – that’s where my flick takes place.
“It’s being informed by my own personal experience as well, which is helpful, because I’m writing about an era that I wasn’t alive for, and I’m not a fan of. I hate the f-cking ’50s and sh-t. When I was a kid, it was like pulling teeth to watch Happy Days, because I just hated that, the oldies and sh-t like that. And ironically enough, this movie, which could be the one where people go, “Oh, he finally did it. He grew up, and he made a respectable movie,” or whatever. Ironically, of course, it would be set in an era that I f-cking don’t care about.”
What is perhaps more of a revelation is that one of the most prolific independent filmmakers believes that his new movie could have to be handled “the way normal movies are handled.” He concluded:
“I am a Kevin Smith critic. I love Kevin Smith movies, but, you know, they don’t really cry out for like, a studio should handle this. But this should be handled the way that normal movies are handled, if we get to do it, right? But so far it’s been enjoyable. I’m halfway through that one. I’m on page 60.”
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
