After 10 years, Jackass Forever marks the return of the Jackass franchise to the big screen. It features most of the original cast members from the Jackass series, which aired on MTV, and from the earlier theatrical releases, including Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and Wee Man. Missing are Ryan Dunn, who passed away in 2011, and Bam Margera, who makes a cameo, but was fired during the filming of Jackass Forever for breaking his contract to remain sober. Jackass Forever is the fourth theatrical release from the Jackass crew and along with the returning cast, it features many celebrity cameos, including Eric Andre.
The original Jackass series was created by Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonez, and Johnny Knoxville for MTV and aired for three seasons between 2000 and 2002. It features Knoxville and his cast members carrying out dangerous and ridiculous stunts for comedic purposes in a reality TV format. The crew released the first Jackass movie in the fall of 2002, which contained similar content to the series. Though the first release was panned by critics, the large audience from the TV series followed Jackass to the box office, leading to a successful film franchise. The Jackass films usually followed up with .5 editions, released with the home video versions of the films. They featured behind-the-scenes clips, interviews with the cast and crew, and scenes that didn't make the final cut of the movies.
Following the theatrical release of Jackass Forever, fans can expect Jackass 4.5 to stream on Netflix. Knoxville and Tremaine confirmed in an interview with Screen Rant that Jackass 4.5 will be "stacked" and has "so many great bits that did not make the film." Danger Ehren also confirmed that they filmed so much for Jackass Forever that they have enough footage for two films. While there is no official release date as of yet, it is expected to release around May or June of 2022.
Amid delays and setbacks, Jackass Forever finally hit theaters on February 4th, 2022, more than two decades since the show premiered. Despite the cast being much older than they were when the show started over twenty years ago, the stunts did not hold back, but it also feels much more emotional than the previous outings. Jackass Forever is the most positively reviewed film of the Jackass franchise, with some critics deeming it a "masterpiece." The Jackass cast, who have reunited for the first time in over a decade, have clear respect and affection for each other that leads to some genuine moments of friendship on-screen. Still, there is no mistaking this for anything but a Jackass film, featuring the dangerous, gross-out slapstick that has become their trademark. Also, according to Knoxville, Jackass 4.5 will have tons of new footage not featured in Jackass Forever.
As the best-reviewed film in the Jackass franchise, it will be interesting to find out what moments were left out of the film and will instead appear in Jackass 4.5. Jackass Forever is only playing in theaters and will likely be available on streaming and home video sometime in April of 2022. Fans can expect to be able to stream Jackass 4.5 after the film is available for home viewing, around the spring of 2022.