View Askewniverse

The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media, and characters from one story often reappear or are referred to in others. Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film; Smith himself portrays the character of Silent Bob.

View Askewniverse
Created byKevin Smith
Scott Mosier
Original workClerks
Print publications
ComicsSee below
Films and television
Film(s)See below
Television seriesSee below
Games
Video game(s)See below

Setting

Smith's recurring characters, settings, and motifs first appeared in his debut film, Clerks. Since then, the main canon has consisted of eight feature films, in addition to several short films, comic books, and a short-lived animated TV series. The View Askewniverse is centered on the towns of Leonardo, Highlands, and Red Bank, all located in Monmouth County, central New Jersey.[1] Chasing Amy also takes place partly in New York City, while Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot involve road trips.

Films
Film U.S.
release date		 Director Screenwriter Producer(s)
Clerks October 19, 1994 (1994-10-19) Kevin Smith Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith
Mallrats October 20, 1995 (1995-10-20) Sean Daniel, James Jacks and Scott Mosier
Chasing Amy April 4, 1997 (1997-04-04) Scott Mosier
Dogma November 12, 1999 (1999-11-12)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back August 24, 2001 (2001-08-24)
Clerks II July 21, 2006 (2006-07-21)
Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie! April 20, 2013 (2013-04-20) Steve Stark Kevin Smith Jason Mewes and Jordan Monsanto
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot October 15, 2019 (2019-10-15) Kevin Smith Jordan Monsanto and Liz Destro

Clerks (1994)

Clerks is the first film in the series of the View Askewniverse. It follows a day in the lives of two store clerks, Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson). Dante is called into work at the Quick Stop convenience store on his day off until the boss can relieve him at noon. As Dante serves a succession of customers, he repeatedly complains that he is "not even supposed to be here today". Randal works at RST Video next door, although he spends almost the entire day relaxing at the Quick Stop. Dante learns he will be working all day, and decides to close the store for brief periods to play hockey on the roof and to attend a memorial service for his ex-girlfriend. An old flame now engaged surprises him with a visit. The two had been talking on the phone for months and after seeing each other again they are keen to reunite and leave their current relationships.

Mallrats (1995)
Main article: Mallrats

Takes place one day before the events in Clerks. The film is about two young men, Brodie Bruce and T.S. Quint, who hang out at a mall after being dumped by their girlfriends, while also trying to avoid the wrath of Shannon Hamilton.

Chasing Amy (1997)
Main article: Chasing Amy

A heterosexual man, Holden McNeil, falls in love with a lesbian woman, Alyssa Jones, causing conflict with his homophobic best friend, Banky Edwards, with whom he has created a comic book called Bluntman and Chronic based upon their friends Jay and Silent Bob.

Dogma (1999)
Main article: Dogma (film)

The world ends if two angels enter a church in New Jersey and it is up to Jesus' last scion, Jay and Silent Bob, and the thirteenth Apostle to stop them.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Main article: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Jay and Silent Bob embark on a road-trip to Hollywood to try to stop a Bluntman and Chronic movie from being made. Within the film, the Bluntman and Chronic movie was to be based on the comic made by the protagonists of Chasing Amy.

Clerks II (2006)
Main article: Clerks II

Roughly ten years after Clerks, Dante and Randal are now employed in the fast food industry.

Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie! (2013)
Main article: Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie!

The animated film depicts the events within the Bluntman and Chronic comic written by the protagonist of Chasing Amy, which was to be adapted into a movie in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Kevin Smith adapted the script from the Bluntman and Chronic comics story he had originally written as a companion piece to the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
Main article: Jay and Silent Bob Reboot

After losing the legal rights to their names over a film reboot of Bluntman and Chronic, Jay and Silent Bob travel across the United States in an attempt to prevent the reboot from being made.

Clerks III (TBA)

Following the release of Clerks II, Smith reported that for several years after, a script was finished, but production was delayed in favor of other projects.[2] By February 2017, he announced via his social media page that development had stopped, and the film would not be made, when Jeff Anderson dropped out of the project.[3]

By September 2019, Smith announced that he had scrapped the previous draft, and had begun working a whole new script for the project. The filmmaker confirmed that many of the creatives from the previous films including Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson and Brian O'Halloran would return.[4] The new Clerks III would follow Dante and Randal, after surviving a heart attack, making a movie at the store.[5] The plot was initially conceived for a film adaptation of Clerks: The Animated Series titled Clerks: Sell Out.

Twilight of the Mallrats (TBA)

On March 13, 2015, Kevin Smith confirmed that Mallrats 2 was being written and was slated to begin shooting in Summer 2016.[6][7] In April 2015, Smith announced that Mallrats 2 would be his next film, instead of Clerks III as originally intended, and would begin filming in 2015.[7] In January 2020, Smith announced that development on Mallrats 2 has started up again, under a new title Twilight of the Mallrats.[8]

Film U.S.
release date		 Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Producers
Drawing Flies November 24, 1996 (1996-11-24) Malcolm Ingram & Matt Gissing Malcolm Ingram, Matt Gissing, Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith
Scream 3 February 4, 2000 (2000-02-04) Wes Craven Ehren Kruger Cathy Konrad, Kevin Williamson and Marianne Maddalena
Zack and Miri Make a Porno October 31, 2008 (2008-10-31) Kevin Smith Scott Mosier
Madness in the Method August 2, 2019 (2019-08-02) Jason Mewes Chris Anastasi & Dominic Burns Jason Mewes, Mickey Gooch Jr., Rob Weston and Dominic Burns
  • Drawing Flies: Much of the cast of Mallrats featured in a simultaneous View Askew Productions film titled, Drawing Flies. A couple of actors portray the same characters, with Kevin Smith credited as Silent Bob. Smith also wore the same wardrobe within the two films.
  • Scream 3: Jay and Silent Bob appear in Scream 3, during a scene which shows the pair in-studio. Jay comedically mistakes one of the main protagnists named Gale Weathers-Riley, for television reporter Connie Chung and sarcastically asks her about Maury Povich.
  • Zack and Miri Make a Porno: Brandon St. Randy, not referenced by name, makes an appearance as Jay and Silent Bob and Saban Films' lawyer in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. Smith had previously stated that Zack and Miri Make a Porno was not part of the View Askewniverse.[9][10]
  • Madness in the Method: Directed by Jason Mewes, from a script co-written by Chris Anastasi and Dominic Burns, the film features Jay and Silent Bob. The film was released on August 2, 2019.

Short films
  • The Flying Car: A short film featuring Dante and Randal, that was produced for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2002.
  • Clerks: The Lost Scene: An animated short, that was produced in 2004 for Clerks X (10th anniversary DVD). The release is based on a scene previously off-screen from Clerks, that had previously been depicted in the comics.

Television
  • Clerks: The Animated Series: A traditionally animated series, that consisted of six episodes featuring the main characters from the Clerks film. The series aired on ABC in 2000, only to be discontinued after two episodes were released on network television. The entire series was later released directly to DVD in 2001.
  • Clerks: A live-action pilot episode, for a television series adaptation, based on Clerks. Kevin Smith had no involvement with the television series' adaptation.
  • Jay and Silent Bob Shorts: A series of short skits, which aired on MTV.
  • Jay and Silent Bob Rename Your Favorite TV Show: Released throughout 2005, as a portion of I Love the '90s. The routine was released on VH1.
  • I Love the '90s: Part Deux: The second release from VH1, as a part of the I Love the '90s series. The show released in 2005.
  • Degrassi: The Next Generation: The series adapted a fictional filming of Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?, over the span of three of its episodes.
  • My Name is Earl: The series, which stars Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee who have co-starred in numerous films directed by Kevin Smith, made references to the films. This is evident when Earl claims to have robbed a Quick Stop.[11] Another reference in the series is how Randy, on waking up, blurts out "poopie trim" which he similarly blurted as Willam in Mallrats, as did Chris Rock in Dogma.
  • The Flash (2014 TV series): Jay and Silent Bob cameo as security guards in the episode "Null and Annoyed".

Digital

Jay and Silent Bob VR

In 2018, STX Entertainment announced that their Surreal division was working with Kevin Smith on a VR series that would star Jay and Silent Bob.[12]

Recurring cast and characters

Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film. This is most notable in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, in which several actors play multiple characters from earlier View Askewniverse films.

To date, Smith and Jason Mewes are the only actors to appear in every film as the same characters. Three other actors have appeared in every film, as different characters, Scott Mosier, Walt Flanagan and Brian O'Halloran, with O'Halloran always appearing as a member of the Hicks family (most notably Dante).

The more notable recurring actors include:

Actor Clerks Mallrats Chasing Amy Dogma Clerks:
The Animated Series		 Jay and Silent Bob
Strike Back		 Clerks II Jay and Silent Bob's
Super Groovy Cartoon Movie		 Jay and Silent Bob
Reboot
Jason Mewes Jay
Kevin Smith Silent Bob Silent Bob
Himself
Scott Mosier Willam Black
angry hockey-playing customer		 Roddy Tracer collector Bus passenger Willam Black
(uncredited)		 Willam Black
Extras Wrangler		 Concerned Father The General
Quick-Stop hipster guy		 Willam Black
Extras Wrangler
Walt Flanagan Woolen cap smoker
various unnamed characters		 Walt the Fanboy Walt the Fanboy
(deleted scene)		 Walt the Fanboy
(Protester #2)		 Walt the Fanboy Woolen cap smoker Shower Bully 3
Giagra ad narrator		 Walt the Fanboy
Himself
Bryan Johnson Steve-Dave Steve-Dave
(deleted scene)		 Steve-Dave
(Protester #1)		 Steve-Dave Shower Bully 2
Travis the Comic-Hating Bully		 Himself
Brian O'Halloran Dante Hicks Gil Hicks Jim Hicks Grant Hicks Dante Hicks Dante Hicks
Grant Hicks
Jeff Anderson Randal Graves Gun shop clerk Randal Graves
Ernest O'Donnell Rick Derris Bystander Cop Himself
Vincent Pereira Various unnamed characters Startled pinball player Quick Stop customer
John Willyung Dante's killer
(deleted scene)		 Cohee Lundin Passerby Himself
David Klein Various unnamed characters Bald comic fan
Virginia Smith Animal masturbator customer Comic-Con woman Alyssa’s Wife
Grace Smith Milk Maid Milk Maid Chronic Con Attendee
Scott Schiaffo Chewlies Rep Himself
Joey Lauren Adams Alyssa Jones
(2004 special edition)		 Gwen Turner Alyssa Jones Alyssa Jones Alyssa Jones
Jason Lee Brodie Bruce Banky Edwards Azrael Brodie Bruce
Banky Edwards		 Lance Dowds Brodie Bruce
Ben Affleck Shannon Hamilton Holden McNeil Bartleby Holden McNeil
himself		 Gawking guy Mentioned Holden McNeil
Ethan Suplee Willam Black Fan Golgothan
(voice)		 Teen #2
Shannen Doherty Rene Mosier Herself
Renee Humphrey Tricia Jones Tricia Jones
Malcolm Ingram Creepy staring guy Creepy staring guy Pissing customer
Stan Lee Himself Himself
Dwight Ewell Hooper X Kane the gang leader Hooper X
Matt Damon Shawn Oran (TV executive #2) Loki Himself Loki
Guinevere Turner Singer Bus station attendant
Carmen Llywelyn Kim Daphne look-alike
Dan Etheridge Priest Plug Deputy
Chris Rock Rufus Chaka Luther King
George Carlin Cardinal Glick Blowjob-giving hitchhiker
Alanis Morissette God God
Paul Dini George Lucas Bluntman & Chronic Loader
Clapper
Shannon Elizabeth Justice Faulken Justice Faulken
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith Missy "Miss" McKenzie Emma Bunting Blunt-Girl Missy "Miss" McKenzie
Jason Biggs Himself Himself
James Van Der Beek Himself Himself
Jake Richardson Teen #1 Teen #1
Harley Quinn Smith Baby Silent Bob Kid in window Millenium "Milly" Faulken
Nick Fehlinger Teen #2 Teen #2
Rosario Dawson Becky Scott Reggie Faulken
Ming Chen Shower Bully 1 Himself
Mike Zapcic Bank Robber Cop 2 Himself

Comics
  • Clerks.: A three-part comic book series published in the late-'90s, which featured the continuing adventures of the main characters from Clerks.
  • Chasing Dogma: A four-part series that details the adventures of Jay and Silent Bob, between the events of Chasing Amy and Dogma. Various elements from the story-arc were adapted into Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
  • Bluntman and Chronic: Adapting the fictionally "created" comics by Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards in Chasing Amy, the series was published to coincide with the release of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
  • Jay and Silent Bob in Walt Flanagan's Dog: A story that was featured in Oni Double Feature #1.
  • Where's the Beef?: A 20-page comic which adds further details to the events that were depicted in the opening scenes of Clerks II.
  • Chasing Amy: In Japan, the screenplay of Chasing Amy was adapted into a novel by Kenichi Eguchi and published by Aoyama Publishing. It is a book that is roughly half-novel, half-manga, with Moyoco Anno providing the art for the comic book pages.
  • Green Arrow: Jay and Silent Bob had a brief appearance in one panel of Green Arrow, Vol. 3 #6. The characters were depicted standing outside Jason Blood's Safe House in Star City. This issue was written by Kevin Smith during his 15-issue story-arc of the titular character.
  • Angel: After the Fall: Demonic versions of Jay and Silent Bob can be seen in one panel, in issue #5. The characters are shown standing outside of a cafe in the safe haven of Silverlake. Writer Brian Lynch confirmed the reference and attributed their inclusion to artist Franco Urru.
  • Aoi House: Though the pair are not identified by name, Jay and Silent Bob appear in the manga, in the background of the mall.

Video-game

A beat-em up videogame titled Jay and Silent-Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch, released in April 2016. The game was produced by a successful crowdfunding.[13]

Additional crew and production details
Film Crew/Detail
Composer(s) Cinematographer Editor(s) Production
companies		 Distributing
companies		 Running time
Film series
Clerks Benji Gordon David Klein Scott Mosier & Kevin Smith View Askew Productions,
Miramax Films		 Miramax, LLC 1hr 32mins
Mallrats Ira Newborn Paul Dixon View Askew Productions,
Gramercy Pictures (I),
Alphaville Films		 Gramercy Pictures 1hr 34mins
Chasing Amy David Pirner Scott Mosier & Kevin Smith View Askew Productions,
Too Askew Prod., Inc.		 Miramax, LLC 1hr 53mins
Dogma Howard Shore Robert Yeoman View Askew Productions,
STKstudio		 Lions Gate Films 2hrs 8mins
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back James L. Venable Jamie Anderson View Askew Productions,
Miramax Films,
Dimension Films		 Miramax, LLC 1hr 44mins
Clerks II David Klein Kevin Smith View Askew Productions,
The Weinstein Company		 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.		 1hr 37mins
Jay & Silent Bob's
Super Groovey Cartoon Movie!		 Josh Earl View Askew Productions,
SModcast Pictures		 Phase 4 Films 1hr 3mins
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Yaron Levy Kevin Smith View Askew Productions,
Miramax Films,
SModcast Pictures,
Destro Films,
Hideout Pictures,
Intercut Capital,
Mewesings.
Skit Bags Entertainment		 Saban Films 1hr 45mins
Related films
Drawing Flies Murray Stiller Brian Pearson Malcolm Ingram & Matt Gissing View Askew Productions 1hr 16mins
Scream 3 Marco Beltrami Peter Deming Patrick Lussier Dimension Films,
Konrad Pictures,
Craven/Maddalena Films,
Miramax Film Corp.		 Dimension Films 1hr 47mins
Zack and Miri Make a Porno James L. Tenable David Klein Kevin Smith View Askew Productions The Weinstein Company 1hr 42mins
Madness in the Method Si Begg Vince Knight Adam Sykes Autumnwood Media,
Straightwire Films,
Hawthorn Productions,
Red Rock Entertainment,
Skit Bags Entertainment,
Happy Hour Productions,
Malibu Films		 Cinedigm 1hr 39mins

Franchise chronology

Cancelled projects
Busing

Following Clerks, Smith wrote a film called Busing for Hollywood Pictures, a now-defunct Disney studio. It was described as "Clerks in a restaurant." The film was announced around 1994 and was intended to be part of the View Askewniverse.[14] The film was not made, but the film was featured at the end of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back as a poster parodying the Clerks poster.[15]

Name

A follow-up to Chasing Amy, Smith wrote a new film set in the View Askewniverse starring the trio from Amy that was not a sequel. Smith said "it was kind of porn-bent." Affleck and Adams were interested in doing the project, but plans eventually fell through.[16] Smith's efforts to develop a project about pornography led to the 2008 film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Smith abandoned Name in favor of Dogma.

Dogma II

In late November 2005, Smith responded to talk of a possible sequel to Dogma on the ViewAskew.com message boards:

So weird you should ask this, because ever since 9/11, I have been thinking about a sequel of sorts. I mean, the worst terrorist attack on American soil was religiously bent. In the wake of said attack, the leader of the "Free World" outed himself as pretty damned Christian. In the last election, rather than a quagmire war abroad, the big issue was whether or not gay marriage was moral. Back when I made Dogma, I always maintained that another movie about religion wouldn't be forthcoming, as Dogma was the product of 28 years of religious and spiritual meditation, and I'd kinda shot my wad on the subject. Now? I think I might have more to say. And, yes, the Last Scion would be at the epicenter of it. And she'd have to be played by Alanis. And we'd need a bigger budget, because the entire third act would be the Apocalypse. Scary thing is this: the film would have to touch on Islam. And unlike the Catholic League, when those cats don't like what you do, they issue a death warrant on your ass. And now that I've got a family, I'm not as free to stir the shit-pot as I was when I was single, back when I made Dogma. I mean, now I've gotta think about more than my own safety and well-being. But regardless – yeah, a Dogma followup's been swimming around in my head for some time now.[17]

Over a decade later, there has apparently been no further discussion.[18] But in October 2017, Smith revealed that he no longer desired to make any new religious films.[19]

Near the same time as the cancellation, just weeks before the Weinstein scandal broke to the public, Harvey Weinstein pitched to Smith about doing a sequel. Not much came from this pitch, but it was just a mere idea for Weinstein. According to Smith in an interview with Business Insider, he recalls:

I said, 'Hey, how are you?' And he goes, 'You know, we have Dogma, I just realized, and we got to get it out there again.' I said, 'We do! People online are always asking where they can get it. And he then goes, 'You know, that movie had a big cast, we might even be able to do a sequel.' And I was like, 'Yeah man, right on. I might think about that.' And he was like, 'We'll talk.' And a week later The New York Times story breaks. I felt sick to my stomach.

Smith believes that he only got the call because, as he believes, "It was him looking to see who was a friend still because his life was about to shift completely."[20]

Clerks: Sell Out

For several years following the cancellation of Clerks: The Animated Series, Smith announced plans to make an animated film. He revealed in a commentary on Episode 6 that it would go theatrical (with the hopes to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature),[21] but later made plans to go direct-to-video. The basic plot involved Dante and Randal making a movie about their lives at the Quick Stop, a reference to the production of the original film. In an interview, Kevin Smith expanded on the delays surrounding the film. He stated that when Harvey and Bob Weinstein left Miramax, owned at the time by The Walt Disney Company, the split was not completely amicable. The rights to the Clerks television series were still owned by Disney, who as a result were reluctant to work with The Weinstein Company, throwing the future of Clerks: Sell Out into question.[22] At the 2007 Cornell Q&A, Smith said due to the Miramax/Weinstein argument "you will see a Jay and Silent Bob cartoon before Clerks: Sell Out."

Despite the fact that Sell Out might not get made, Smith's new script for the long-awaited Clerks III will follow the original plot from the animated film.[23]

gollark: Yes, I know.
gollark: Technically, the answer to "what comes next" questions can be basically whatever you want.
gollark: mafs.
gollark: Heresy!
gollark: And Google writes half the specs anyway.

References
  1. Godfrey, Alex (September 24, 2011). "Kevin Smith hits out at Harvey Weinstein, critics, and rightwing bigots".
  2. Kevin Smith Delays ‘Clerks 3’ to Shoot ‘Comes the Krampus’
  3. Snootchie Bootchies! Kevin Smith Confirms Work on New Jay and Silent Bob Movie
  4. https://www.instagram.com/p/B3E4TxKggW-/
  5. "Kevin Smith says Clerks 3 is about the clerks making Clerk". The AV Report. October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  6. Lyons, Matt (12 March 2015). "KEVIN SMITH CONFIRMS MALLRATS 2 IS COMING, CLERKS III BEGINS FILMING IN MAY". MoarGeek.com. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  7. Melrose, Kevin (April 8, 2015). "'Mallrats 2′ Will Be Kevin Smith's Next Film". Comic Book Resources. Weiland, Jonah. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  8. https://movieweb.com/mallrats-2-update-new-script-title-kevin-smith/
  9. Vanity Fair (October 15, 2019). "Kevin Smith Breaks Down Jay and Silent Bob Fan Theories from Reddit". YouTube. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  10. Adler, Shawn. "Kevin Smith Says View Askewniverse Won't Be Mentioned In 'Zack and Miri'". MTV News. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  11. ""Faked My Own Death" Episode Trivia". IMDb. 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  12. "Jay and Silent Bob are coming to virtual reality, whether you're ready or not". April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  13. Chalk, Andy (April 4, 2016). "Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch is successfully funded". PC Gamer.
  14. "Not Grumpy or Old". Los Angeles Times. May 29, 1994. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  15. "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back Easter Egg - The Film That Never Was". July 16, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  16. Rob Leane (February 13, 2017). "The Unmade Films of Kevin Smith". Den of Geeks. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  17. Kevin Smith (November 27, 2005). "The View Askewniverse Message Board". Archived from the original on March 23, 2006. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  18. Franich, D. On 'Dogma', Kevin Smith, and the road not taken. Entertainment Weekly archive, retrieved January 11, 2018.
  19. Kennedy, Michael (October 5, 2017). "Kevin Smith Says Dogma 2 Will Never Happen". ScreenRant.com. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  20. Jeremy Dick (October 3, 2019). "Harvey Weinstein Pitched Dogma 2 to Kevin Smith Days Before the Sex Scandal Broke". MovieWeb. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  21. Clerks: The Animated Series: Episode 6: The Last Episode Ever commentary. Miramax Home Entertainment.
  22. MTV Movies Blog - Kevin Smith Hopes To Make Jay And Silent Bob Animated Film by Shawn Adler, December 3, 2007
  23. "Kevin Smith says Clerks 3 is about the clerks making Clerk". The AV Report. October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
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