After a long wait, Kevin Smith fans were treated to the first trailer for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot during San Diego Comic-Con last week. The trailer for the director’s follow-up to his 2001 comedy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, included some big surprises. One of the biggest was the reveal of who is playing Bluntman, Silent Bob’s fictional alter ego that is half of Bluntman and Chronic, the subjects of the film Jay and Silent Bob are trying to stop from being made. Playing opposite Melissa Benoist’s Chronic is Val Kilmer! Smith recently took to Instagram to reveal how he got Kilmer into the film.
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“BLUNTMAN FOREVER! The trailer for @jayandsilentbob Reboot (link in my bio) has been out for a week, so folks now know we were lucky enough to score the legendary @valkilmerofficial as the real star of our fake movie-within-a-movie, #bluntmanVchronic! That’s right: Batman plays Bluntman and Supergirl @melissabenoist plays Chronic in the rebooted movie that #jayandsilentbob are trying to stop! As a lifelong #realgenius fan who stole parts of his personality from Val’s Chris Knight character, this was a bit of dream casting for me – and it came together very organically. I got a text from Val’s producer, inviting me to Val’s #citizentwain show when it was in the #nola area. He also gave me Val’s email and encouraged me to reach out,” Smith wrote.
He added, “So we became Pen Pals, during which time he told me he’d already shot his stuff on @topgunmovie. So I hit Val up about coming to play with us on Reboot while he was in town. Val wrote ‘I don’t know if you’ve heard, but my voice isn’t quite back yet. Perhaps I can play some poor cousin to Silent Bob?’ I wrote back ‘I think I’ve got the *perfect* cameo for you, if you’re cool with it.’ And thus, Bluntman began! We only did it for a day, but working with the genius who gave us Doc Holliday in the #tombstonemovie and resurrected Jim Morrison in #thedoorsmovie was a highlight of my 25 year career.”
He concluded, “Val was crushing on film while I was still just a member of the audience. And he wasn’t just a movie star, he was always one of our best, most committed actors. So years after I watched him in the #willowmovie, #madmartigan – the greatest swordsman who ever lived – lent us his iconic star power AND his winning smile as our rebooted Bluntman! He’s Ice Man, Batman, Bluntman and just a flat-out good man! See #JayAndSilentBobReboot *with* me and @jaymewes on our #rebootroadshow Tour, or peep the flick October 15th and 17th during @fathomevents Sneak Preview Screenings at a theater near you!”
Previously, Smith teased that the new film had three Batmans in it, which we now know includes Kilmer and Ben Affleck. The third is still a mystery but could be anyone from Michael Keaton to George Clooney to Christian Bale. Who knows? Maybe Robert Pattinson snuck in there!
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is expected to hit theaters on October 15th.
