Director Confirms Hockey Film Will Be His Last, Aiming To Shoot This Fall
So much Kevin Smith stuff happened today we’ve had to break it up into two stories. While the “Red State” screening and auction dominated the evening’s tweets and comments, the director also revealed some details about his next and (what will be his) last film.
Inspired by a Warren Zevon song, “Hit Somebody” has been a script Smith has been working on for a while, and late last summer, he confirmed that it was something he would make after “Red State.” Prior to the screening of his horror film, the director was on Twitter as usual and revealed one of the final title cards of “Red State” which stated: “Almost this entire cast will return in Hit Somebody. Coming across the boards in 2012.” Of course, deals aren’t in place just yet but Smith does have actors already in mind for roles, revealing that “Michael Parks will be playing ”the French Canadian coach of Buddy’s first pro team”; if John Goodman returns he would “be playing Blue Jay Jennings – Buddy’s first coach” and Melissa Leo will have a role if “she’s not too tired from double-fisting awards all year, GOD YES!.” They will join Nicholas Braun who has secured the lead role that was one linked to Seann William Scott (who has moved to on and shot Jay Baruchel‘s hockey movie “Goon” instead), while Kyle Gallner will make a late appearance in the film as a Wayne Gretzky-like character. Production on the film will take place this fall after long time collaborator, DoP David Klein, finishes shooting the next season of “True Blood.” Hat tip to Bleeding Cool for the roundup. But regardless of how it’s made, “Hit Somebody” will be memorable as Smith confirms it will also be his last film.
This isn’t the first time Smith has talked retirement from directing. Earlier in the year, he told the Boston Phoenix more or less the same thing, and then angrily sent out an email when websites picked up on the quote saying, “I’ve always said (since CLERKS, even) that I’ve got about ten films in me (that info might even be on my Wikipedia page). And COP OUT notwithstanding (solely because I didn’t write it), HIT SOMEBODY is the 10th film I’ve got in me. At this moment in time, I’ve got no other flicks I wanna make. The musing about a possible return visit to the View Askewniverse with a third CLERKS is something I’ve been doing since CLERKS II, but I’ve always opened said musings with the disclaimer ‘If I ever wanna make a flick about being in my 40′s, I’ll think of Dante & Randal first.’ There are no concrete plans for a CLERKS III. The author of the Boston Phoenix piece did a really nice job of not hyping that throwaway factoid in the article and turning it into the exact piece of specious bullshit “news” the websites you mentioned are trying to create of it.”
No word yet if that disclaimer still applies (probably), but during the auction for “Red State” Smith re-confirmed that “Hit Somebody” would indeed be his final directorial effort saying, “This is my second to last movie. I’m going to make one more movie, and then I’m done making my movies, and we’re gonna make yours. Smodcast Pictures is going to release your movies without you having to spend a fucking dime.” (Retirement is something he also reiterated in a recent podcast).
Of course, Smodcast Pictures is his latest venture through which he will be self-distributing “Red State,” approaching exhibitors directly. This isn’t the first time Smith has talked about shaking up the indie film model as it currently stands, nor is it the first time he’s toyed with distributing other people’s films and it looks like he’s making strong strides to see it through.
“Red State” will have roadshow screenings starting on March 5th, with a fall release to follow on October 19th. And oh yeah, the New York Jets lost. Bummer.
