Once upon a time, Kevin Smith admitted he was estranged from longtime collaborator Ben Affleck. It even led the filmmaker to pen a script for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot expecting to never hear from Affleck about another View Askewniverse. But everything changed when entertainment journalist Kevin McCarthy asked Affleck about making a potential appearance.
Smith himself took to Instagram earlier today to share a heartfelt story and how McCarthy's line of questioning persuaded him to reach out to Affleck after all these years, extend an olive branch, and ask his one-time friend to return for another scene. As you can tell by the trailer released yesterday, Affleck agreed.
"After a long beat of wondering how he’d receive this, my estranged friend wrote back as only he could: 'Of course you still liken yourself to a king,' he joked," Smith said in his post. "And then 'Would be a pleasure to see you again, Old Man.' So naturally, weepy me - who breaks down emotionally during comic book flicks - was a blubbery mess. Not only did we score an amazing scene for the flick, but I also got my friend back - all because of entertainment journalism."