Twenty-five years in the making, Kevin Smith is embarking on a holy-defying sequel with the man upstairs. During his "Dogma Confessional" at the Vulture Festival on Sunday, the visionary behind the View Askewniverse unveiled that he is crafting a follow-up to the iconic 1999 film, and he fully anticipates Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to make cameos, at the very least.
"Some might balk, 'Don't you dare touch it. You'll tarnish its legacy,'" Smith remarked. "But let me assure you: I will. I'm tickled pink with excitement. I've found the keyhole to unlock its potential." His confidence in Affleck and Damon reprising their roles as the fallen angels Bartleby and Loki was palpable. Smith quipped that after he lent a helping hand to rescue their 1997 film Good Will Hunting, they owed him a debt of gratitude that they neglected to acknowledge during their Golden Globes and Oscars speeches. "I've had this leverage over them for a quarter-century, and that's why they keep popping up in my movies," Smith chuckled. "Expect more than just fleeting cameos from them. Their presence is vital for a Dogma sequel to happen. So, consider it a done deal."
Sunday's panel marked the silver jubilee of Dogma, where Affleck and Damon's buddy angels embarked on a New Jersey odyssey to find a loophole that would propel them back to heaven. The film's star-studded cast also included Linda Fiorentino, Salma Hayek, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Alanis Morissette, along with Jason Mewes and Smith reprising their roles as Jay and Silent Bob.
Dogma stands as the fourth chapter in Smith's View Askewniverse saga, which encompasses Clerks (1994), Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022). Last month, Smith announced that the religious satire would be revived in theaters and receive a fresh home release, thanks to a company that acquired the distribution rights from Miramax, potentially marking its streaming debut.
Smith hinted that the new Dogma deal could pave the way for sequels, TV adaptations, and an expanded storytelling universe that was previously unimaginable. "It's thrilling," he enthused. "All the cast members are still viable and ready to contribute."
Following multiple sexual assault accusations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017, Smith expressed shame for having worked with the producer early in his career and vowed to donate all future residuals from his Miramax and Weinstein Co. projects to Women in Film. Smith recalled that Weinstein had approached him about making Dogma 2, an offer he politely declined.
