Kevin Smith has confirmed that Supergirl actress Melissa Benoist plays comic book character Chronic in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. The characters of Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Smith respectively, were first introduced in Smith's debut directorial effort Clerks. The stoners would get their own showcase movie with 2001's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, in which the duo journeyed to Hollywood to stop production on a movie version of their comic book Bluntman and Chronic.
It's been quite awhile now since Jay and Silent Bob struck back against the movie industry, but Smith is hoping the characters can still carry a movie as he's bringing them back. In the upcoming Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, the titular pair again find themselves squaring off against the movie biz, as a studio is set to reboot Bluntman and Chronic. In Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the comic book heroes Bluntman and Chronic were played by Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek, but Smith already announced that new actors would be taking on the roles in the reboot. Recently, Smith teased fans with a poster parodying Batman V Superman that featured a female Chronic, leading to immediate speculation about the identity of the actress signed on to play the gender-swapped character. On Instagram, Smith promised he would name the actors playing both Bluntman and Chronic at San Diego Comic-Con, at which time he'll also unveil the movie's first red band trailer.
But now, Smith has decided to jump the gun on the Comic-Con announcement by revealing the identity of the actress who plays Chronic. In another Instagram post, Smith unveiled Supergirl's Melissa Benoist as James Van Der Beek's replacement in the reboot. See the post in the space below:
Note that in Smith's voluminous caption, he takes a little jab at The CW by bragging that he gave Benoist pants before Supergirl. Smith of course worked with Benoist when he directed several episodes of The CW series. Another CW star, The Flash actor Grant Gustin, also reportedly has a role in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. As for the identity of the actor playing Bluntman, that is still being kept a secret for now. Speculation is running hot that Ben Affleck is the one inside the Bluntman suit, which would be a hilarious joke given Affleck's history playing Batman. Indeed, it's already been revealed that not one but three former Batman actors grace the cast of Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and any one of them could presumably be Bluntman (or maybe all three are Bluntman). Chris Hemsworth has also been put forth as a candidate to play Bluntman, as he reportedly has a role in the film.
In a few days, Smith fans will have many more answers about Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, as Smith conducts his panel at Comic-Con. The way Smith is playing up the Bluntman reveal, it's sure to be a huge moment when the identity of the actor in question is at last unveiled. Perhaps the Bluntman actor, be it Affleck or Hemsworth or someone else completely unexpected, will himself make a surprise appearance at Comic-Con.
Source: Kevin Smith