Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in Dogma (1999).
Lionsgate Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
After 25 years, Kevin Smith is reconnecting with the man upstairs for the unholiest of sequels.
During his Dogma Confessional on Sunday at Vulture Festival, the View Askewniverse creator revealed that he’s working on a sequel to the 1999 film, and he expects Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to return for cameos at least.
“Some people will be like, ‘Don’t f—ing touch it. You’ll ruin it,’” said Smith. “And I’m here to tell you: I will. I’m f—ing tickled. I found a way in.”
He sounded confident that Affleck and Damon would reprise their roles as fallen angels Bartleby and Loki. After Smith helped save the pair’s 1997 film Good Will Hunting, without so much as a thank you in their Golden Globes and Oscars speeches, they owe him.
“I have been able to hold that over both their heads for 25 f—ing years, which is why they keep showing up in all the movies,” said Smith. “Expect a cameo from them — more than a f—ing cameo. The only way we get a Dogma sequel made is if they’re there. So count on those guys being there.”
Sunday’s panel marks the 25th anniversary of Dogma, which saw Affleck and Damon’s buddy angels traveling to New Jersey in search of a loophole that will get them back to heaven. The film also features Linda Fiorentino, Salma Hayek, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, Jason Lee and Alanis Morissette, as well as Jason Mewes and Smith reprising their roles as as Jay and Silent Bob.
Dogma served as the fourth installment in Smith’s View Askewniverse, which also includes 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 is returning to theaters and getting a new home release after another company purchased the distribution rights from Miramax, making it potentially available to stream for the first time ever.
Smith noted that the new Dogma deal could potentially lead to “sequels, TV versions, in terms of extending the story. Something we could never do before. So, exciting man. And all those people who worked in it are still viable.”
After Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual assault by multiple women in 2017, Smith expressed that he was “ashamed” to have worked with the producer early in his career. He also pledged to donate all future residuals from his Miramax and Weinstein Co. work to Women in Film.
Smith said at the time that Weinstein had recently approached him to make Dogma 2, an offer the director declined.