Kevin Smith's third installment in the True North trilogy, Moose Jaws, continues to be postponed for an array of reasons. In April 2020, after several years of silence and five years since its initial announcement, the director spoke about the film and where the horror-comedy stands at this current moment. Here is why Moose Jaws is taking so long to make.
The True North trilogy includes the 2014 film Tusk, starring Justin Long as Wallace Bryton and Michael Parks as Howard Howe, the walrus obsessed seaman. From beginning to end, it includes an abundance of deeply unsettling imagery of bodily dismemberment and reattachment. Howe creates a new creature with Wallace's flesh and bone, a human walrus. He abuses "Mr. Walrus" so heinously that the behavior becomes deeply ingrained in his being. Despite a possible Tusk 2, the last known location of Wallace was in captivity at a walrus rescue. The second installment in the trilogy is the 2016 film Yoga Hosers, starring Smith's own daughter, Harley Quinn Smith (Colleen McKenzie), Lily-Rose Depp (Colleen Collette), and Johnny Depp returning as Guy LaPointe from Tusk.
As the two Colleens battle miniature bratwurst Nazis (Bratzis), they ask for the help of Guy LaPointe, who assists them in saving the world from a second invasion. The film received largely negative reviews from both fans and critics. It did not live up to the potential of the first installment of the True North trilogy. Regardless, Smith announced that Moose Jaws would happen, with production beginning in 2015. Except, it never reached that stage in development and, in 2020, it remains at square one.
Jay And Silent Bob Reboot
In 2019, Kevin Smith's Jay And Silent Bob Reboot released to fairly positive reviews. Long-time fans of his work recognize the iconic character of Silent Bob, portrayed by Smith, alongside Jason Mewes's Jay. They were a staple of 1990s and early-2000s buddy comedies. When the director was in the midst of developing Moose Jaws, he was also writing the script for Jay And Silent Bob Reboot. He ultimately decided to put the horror-comedy on hold in favor of two of his most unique and recognizable characters. Jay and Silent Bob are so beloved by Smith that they appear in Clerks, Clerks 2, Mallrats, and even Dogma. When Moose Jaws's first script was written, there was a scene including the two, but it has since been scraped for unknown reasons. Ultimately, his Jay And Silent Bob Reboot took priority over Moose Jaws.
The Original Script For Moose Jaws Was Scrapped
During a YouTube Q&A, Smith announced that he was revisiting Moose Jaws, but he had to scrap the original script. He mentioned that the possibility for the film to become a reality is likely. This is due to the fact that the company that assisted with Jay And Silent Bob Reboot are willing to discuss green-lighting the project. The premise of the film is based on Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark horror classic, Jaws. Except, instead of a shark, the villain is a moose that attacks and kills people. It fits in with the True North trilogy due to its Canadian location, outlandish concept, and its potential to be a horror-comedy masterpiece. The reason for the rewrite is possibly due to the lack of success that Yoga Hosers faced. Smith may be going back to make it resemble Tusk, which succeeded in all the ways that its successor failed.
There is no set time frame for pre-production, development, and post-production for Moose Jaws as of this writing. It may be a few years before audiences see the conclusion of the True North trilogy, but it has potential to be just as great as Tusk, if not better. With Kevin Smith's unique creativity, Moose Jaws will undoubtedly provide a bizarre story that merges shark horror with the Canadian wilderness. All the director needs to do now is finalize a script, cast his characters, and get the green-light.