In his new book, Kevin Smith reveals that his and Jason Mewes' comedic duo Jay & Silent Bob almost met horror icons such as Michael Myers and Pinhead on the big screen. Smith and Mewes have portrayed the pair since Smith's first feature film, Clerks, which Smith directed, wrote, and edited. The pair have since appeared across eight of Smith's films in his View Askewniverse shared universe, as well as the upcoming Clerks III and a cameo in Scream 3.
Smith is a filmmaker who is no stranger to popular culture, as the director has tried his hand at writing for comics and television, including work at DC and Marvel. He also created Netflix's Masters of the Universe: Revelations series, of which he is currently working on the second season. Smith is also a fan himself, having run many online podcasts across his SModcast Podcast Network, such as Fatman Beyond, as well as owning his own comic book store in Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. Despite this, it is surprising to hear that two of his most memorable characters almost shared the screen with pop culture's most horrifying figures.
According to Screen Crush, Smith revealed in his latest book, Kevin Smith's Secret Stash: The Definitive Visual History, that during the early 2000's, he and other producers at Dimension Films were planning a horror-comedy where his comedic duo would encounter horror icons. Smith stated that Dimension Films chairman Bob Weinstein pushed for Jay and Silent Bob films similar to Abbott and Costello's later crossover with the Universal Monsters such as Frankenstein and The Wolfman, but with characters from Dimension's portfolio instead. Smith ultimately rejected the pitch, wanting to change direction in his filmmaking career.
“That’s what we have to do with Jay and Silent Bob. Dimension didn’t have the rights to the Universal Monsters, but it did have Pinhead from Hellraiser, Michael Myers from Halloween, and the kids from Children of the Corn. So Bob wanted me to write a movie where Jay and Silent Bob meet all these monsters."
Smith, at the time, had hoped to return to more serious filmmaking rather than his comedic films following Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back but has since returned to make Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and Clerks III, which recently wrapped filming. However, had he gone ahead with Weinstein's suggestions, Smith would have had access to Dimension characters such as Michael Myers of Halloween, Pinhead of Hellraiser, the cult of Children of the Corn, and Ghostface of Scream. Despite plans falling through, both Jay and Silent Bob would later have a horror cameo in Scream 3, where they are part of a tour to the film's fictionalized film set.
The suggestion of a horror-comedy crossover between Smith and Mewes' stoner duo and Dimension's portfolio of horror icons isn't too unfounded. Abbott and Costello's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein united the duo with Universal's horror icons and was a critical success at the time and making $2.2 million from a budget of $792,000 in 1948. With Smith's pop-culture awareness and referential approach to comedy, a Jay & Silent Bob crossover with the late 90's/2000's horror icons could have been an entertaining film.
Source: Screen Crush