Jackass Forever, the fourth installment in the popular stupid stunt franchise, has delayed its release date to February, 2022. There’s already been a substantial wait for fans wanting to see more from the famed Jackass crew, with the previous big screen entry having arrived all the way back in 2010. Though Jackass 3D took both the franchise and its intentionally painful stunts to new heights, the demand to keep upping the ante never seems to lessen.
With some of its members approaching fifty years of age, it’s hard to believe that Jackass keeps going strong. In fact, Johnny Knoxville – staple of the franchise and its co-creator, has previously spoken about the numerous injuries he’s faced over the course of his strange career, summing it all up by declaring that it’s just what he does. But as fun as it is to watch Knoxville, Steve-O, Wee-Man and the rest of the Jackass crew suffer for their art, the past decade has been an especially difficult one for the franchise as well as for fans. The death of Ryan Dunn in 2011 was a tremendous shock, and its impact continues to deeply affect the life of Bam Margera, who was cut from Jackass Forever due to substance abuse issues.
After more than a decade of wondering if another Jackass film would arrive, fans were delighted to learn that a new installment was on its way and that it was scheduled for release in October of this year. Unfortunately, that release date has now been officially pushed back, with the new release set for February 4, 2022. Knoxville made the announcement via his official Instagram account by climbing up on to a Jackass Forever billboard and adding the new date with spray paint, which can be seen in the short bit of footage below:
The official reason for bumping back the release are the ongoing difficulties imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite a vaccine, the disease has persisted and films that are sure to draw significant crowds don’t want to take any risk of lessening that impact. As a franchise with a considerable and dedicated following, Jackass Forever clearly doesn’t want anything standing in the way of the film’s release. Fans of the series are sure to be frustrated by this latest bit of news and considering all the drama that’s followed in the build-up to Jackass 4’s release, this latest setback will likely feel considerable to many.
At the same time, moving Jackass Forever’s release date back roughly three and a half months isn’t that much of a longer wait. The bigger threat that has been seen time and time again throughout the pandemic so far has been multiple release date changes – as seen with films like No Time to Die or Tenet. There’s currently no way to guarantee that the Covid situation will be better in February, but obviously the hope is that things will change and fans will once again be able to enjoy the insanity of Jackass in theaters.
Source: Johnny Knoxville