Kevin Smith (ichthyologist)
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Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author,
YouTuber A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006. Influence Influent ...
, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the
low-budget A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or ...
comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
buddy film The buddy film is a subgenre of adventure and comedy film in which two people are put together and are on an adventure, a quest, or a road trip. The two often contrast in personality, which creates a dynamic onscreen different from a pairing of ...
''
Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...
'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo
Jay and Silent Bob Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produc ...
, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films ''
Mallrats ''Mallrats'' is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, Joey Lauren Adams, Michael Rooker, and Smith as Silent Bob. ...
'' (1995), ''
Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woma ...
'' (1997), ''
Dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
'' (1999), ''
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of hi ...
'' (2001), ''
Clerks II ''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawso ...
'' (2006), ''
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'' is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. Referring to his 2001 comedy ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', Smith has described the film as a remake/ ...
'' (2019), and ''
Clerks III ''Clerks III'' is a 2022 American comedy-drama film written, produced, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Smith. It serves as a standalo ...
'' (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...
known as the "
View Askewniverse The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob ...
", named after Smith's production company
View Askew Productions View Askew Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Bri ...
, which he co-founded with
Scott Mosier Scott A. Mosier (born March 5, 1971) is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, ''SModcast''. Early life Mosier was born in Vanco ...
. Since 2011, Smith has mostly made horror films, including ''
Red State Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party — the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in b ...
'' (2011) and the comedy horror films ''
Tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share c ...
'' (2014) and ''
Yoga Hosers ''Yoga Hosers'' is a 2016 American comedy horror film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is a spin-off of Smith's 2014 horror film ''Tusk'' and stars Smith's daughter Harley Quinn Smith, Lily-Rose Depp, and her father, Johnny Depp. The seco ...
'' (2016), two in a planned series of three such films set in Canada dubbed the ''True North'' trilogy. He has served as a director-for-hire for material he did not write, including the
buddy cop Buddy cop is a film and television genre with plots involving two people of very different and conflicting personalities who are forced to work together to solve a crime and/or defeat criminals, sometimes learning from each other in the process. ...
action comedy ''
Cop Out Cop out or cop-out may refer to: Film and television * ''Cop Out (2010 film)'', a comedy film directed by Kevin Smith * ''Cop-Out'', a film by Lawrence L. Simeone, produced by Kimberley Casey * ''Cop-Out'', the US title for the 1967 UK film '' ...
'' (2010) and various television series episodes, creating '' Masters of the Universe: Revelation'' in 2021. Smith owns
Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash (sometimes shortened to simply The StashMcLauchlin, Jim (June 1999). "Comic 'Clerks'", '' Wizard'' #94. pp. 30 - 33) is a comic book store owned by filmmaker Kevin Smith, and named after the fictional duo portray ...
in
Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan A ...
, a comic book store which became the setting for the
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
show ''
Comic Book Men ''Comic Book Men'' is an American reality television series which aired on the AMC network from 2012 to 2018. It is set at Kevin Smith's comic book shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, in Red Bank, New Jersey. Production history Filmmaker Kev ...
'' (2012–2018). He hosts the film review TV show '' Spoilers''. As a podcaster, Smith cohosts several shows on his
SModcast Podcast Network SModcast Podcast Network is a podcast network owned by Kevin Smith. The network was started in January 2010 to host the podcast ''SModcast'' alongside the popular ''Tell 'Em Steve-Dave!'' and ''Highlands: A Peephole History''. Current podcasts ...
, including ''
SModcast ''SModcast'' is a podcast featuring filmmaker Kevin Smith. The show was initially co-hosted with Smith's long-time producing partner Scott Mosier, although over the years, Mosier's appearances have been sporadic with a series of guest hosts taki ...
'', '' Fatman Beyond'', and the live show ''
Hollywood Babble-On ''Hollywood Babble-On'' is a weekly podcast featuring filmmaker Kevin Smith and radio personality Ralph Garman. The show features Smith and Garman discussing the week's celebrity, movie, and other pop culture news. Show history Kevin Smith was ...
''. He is known for participating in long, humorous Q&A sessions that are often filmed for DVD release, beginning with ''
An Evening with Kevin Smith ''An Evening with Kevin Smith'' is a DVD featuring question and answer sessions that the comedian and filmmaker Kevin Smith held with his fans at various American colleges in 2001/2002. The colleges were: Clark University, Cornell University, In ...
''. Since 1999, he has been married to actress and former reporter
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (born April 7, 1971), sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, podcaster and retired reporter for ''USA Today''. Career While a ''USA Today'' reporter, Schwalbach met film director Kevin Smith ...
, with whom he has a daughter,
Harley Quinn Smith Harley Quinn Smith (born June 26, 1999) is an American actress and musician. Smith has appeared in the film ''Tusk'' and starred in its spin-off ''Yoga Hosers'', both written and directed by her father, filmmaker Kevin Smith. She is also the bas ...
named after the Batman character of the same name.


Early life

Kevin Patrick Smith was born on August 2, 1970, in
Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan A ...
, Note: At least one source, Yahoo! Movies, gives birthplace as
Highlands, New Jersey :''See also New York–New Jersey Highlands for the northwestern part of the state.'' Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, its population was 5,005,
.
the son of Grace (née Schultz), a homemaker, and Donald E. Smith (1936–2003), a
postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL–CIO, National Postal Mail Handlers Union – NPMHU, the National Associatio ...
. He has two siblings: an older sister, Virginia, and an older brother, Donald Jr. He was raised in a
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
household in the nearby clamming town of
Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...
. Smith's childhood was scheduled around his father's late shifts at the post office. His father grew to despise his job, which greatly influenced Smith, who remembers his father finding it difficult on some days to get up and go to work. Smith vowed never to work at something that he did not enjoy. Smith attended
Henry Hudson Regional High School Henry Hudson Regional High School is a comprehensive regional public high school and school district for students in 7th through 12th grade from both Atlantic Highlands and Highlands in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
, where he was a B and C student, videotaped basketball games, and produced ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''-style
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
. An overweight teen, he developed into a comedic observer of life to socialize with friends and girls. After high school, Smith attended
The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...
in New York City, but did not graduate. Smith met
Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films. Early life Mewes was ...
while working at a youth center; they became friends after discovering a mutual interest in comic books.


Career


As a filmmaker

On his 21st birthday, Smith saw
Richard Linklater Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies '' ...
's comedy ''
Slacker A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic. Origin According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the early t ...
''. Impressed that Linklater set and shot the film in his hometown of
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
rather than on a soundstage in a major city, Smith was inspired to become a filmmaker, and to set films where he lived. He has said, "It was the movie that got me off my ass; it was the movie that lit a fire under me, the movie that made me think, 'Hey, I could be a filmmaker.' And I had never seen a movie like that before ever in my life." He assembled a library of independent filmmakers like Linklater,
Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including '' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' ( ...
,
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
and
Hal Hartley Hal Hartley (born November 3, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and composer who became a key figure in the American independent film movement of the 1980s and '90s. He is best known for his films '' The Unbelievable T ...
to draw from. Smith attended
Vancouver Film School Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver ...
for four months, where he met longtime collaborators
Scott Mosier Scott A. Mosier (born March 5, 1971) is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, ''SModcast''. Early life Mosier was born in Vanco ...
and Dave Klein. Unlike them, Smith left halfway through the course, figuring he knew enough to proceed and wanting to save money for his first film. Smith moved back to New Jersey and got his old job back at a convenience store in
Leonardo Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate ...
. He decided to set his film, ''
Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...
'', at the store, borrowing the a-day-in-the-life structure from the Spike Lee film ''
Do the Right Thing ''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, a ...
''. Smith maxed out more than a dozen credit cards, and sold his much-treasured comic book collection, to raise $27,575 to make the film, while saving money by casting friends and acquaintances in most roles. ''Clerks'' was screened at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
in 1994, where it won the Filmmaker's Trophy. At a restaurant following the screening,
Miramax Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a leadi ...
executive
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films inclu ...
invited Smith to join him at his table, where he offered to buy the film. In May 1994, it went to the
Cannes International Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, where it won both the Prix de la Jeunesse and the International Critics' Week Prize. Released in October 1994 in two cities, the film went on to play in 50 markets, never playing on more than 50 screens at any given time. Despite the limited release, it was a critical and financial success, earning $3.1 million. Initially, the film received an
NC-17 The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion picture ...
rating from the
MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
for sexually graphic language. Miramax hired
Alan Dershowitz Alan Morton Dershowitz ( ; born September 1, 1938) is an American lawyer and former law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law School, where he was appoin ...
to sue the MPAA. At an appeals screening, a jury of members of the National Association of Theatre Owners reversed the MPAA's decision, and the film was given an R rating. The movie had a profound effect on the independent film community. According to producer and author John Pierson, it is considered one of the two most influential film debuts in the 1990s, along with ''
The Brothers McMullen ''The Brothers McMullen'' is a 1995 American comedy-drama film written, directed, produced by, and starring Edward Burns. It deals with the lives of the three Irish Catholic McMullen brothers from Long Island, New York, over three months, as they ...
''. Smith's second film, ''
Mallrats ''Mallrats'' is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, Joey Lauren Adams, Michael Rooker, and Smith as Silent Bob. ...
'',
Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to: Entertainment *Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder *Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor * Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...
's debut as a leading man, did not fare as well as expected. It received a critical drubbing and earned only $2.2 million at the box office despite playing on more than 500 screens. ''Mallrats'' was more successful in the home video market. Widely hailed as Smith's best film, 1997's ''
Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woma ...
'' marked what
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...
called "a quantum leap forward" for Smith. Starring ''Mallrats'' alumni Jason Lee,
Joey Lauren Adams Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) is an American actress and director. Adams starred in ''Chasing Amy'', for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller role ...
and
Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...
, the $250,000 film earned $12 million at the box office, wound up on a number of critics' year-end best lists, and won two
Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...
s (for Screenplay and Supporting Actor for Lee). The film received some criticism from members of the lesbian community, who felt that it reinforced the perception that lesbians merely needed to find the right man. Smith, whose brother Donald is gay, found this accusation frustrating, as he has endeavored to be a pro-
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...
filmmaker, believing that sexuality is more fluid, with social taboos, not sexual desire, preventing more people from expressing
bisexuality Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...
. Smith's fourth film, ''
Dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
'' (1999), featured an all-star cast and was mired in controversy. A religious-themed comedy that starred a post-''
Good Will Hunting ''Good Will Hunting'' is a 1997 American psychological drama film directed by Gus Van Sant, and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It stars Robin Williams, Damon, Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård and Minnie Driver. The film received positive r ...
'' Ben Affleck and
Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...
, as well as
Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
,
Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...
,
George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercul ...
,
Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...
,
Linda Fiorentino Clorinda "Linda" Fiorentino (born March 9, 1958 or 1960) is an American former actress. Fiorentino made her screen debut with a leading role in the 1985 coming-of-age drama film ''Vision Quest'', followed that same year with a lead role in the ac ...
, and Lee and Mewes, it was criticized by the Catholic League. The film debuted at the
1999 Cannes Film Festival The 52nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 12 to 23 May 1999. Canadian filmmaker, actor and author David Cronenberg was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the French–Belgian film ''Rosetta'' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The festiv ...
, out of competition. Released on 800 screens in November 1999, the $10 million film earned $30 million. Smith then focused the spotlight on the two characters who had appeared in supporting roles in his previous four films. ''
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of hi ...
'' featured an all-star cast, with many familiar faces returning from those four films. Affleck and Damon appear as themselves filming a mock sequel to ''Good Will Hunting''. The $20 million film earned $30 million at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics. '' Jersey Girl'', with Affleck,
Liv Tyler Liv Rundgren Tyler (born Liv Rundgren; July 1, 1977) is an American actress, producer, singer and former model. She began a modeling career at age 14. She later decided to focus on acting and made her film debut in ''Silent Fall'' (1994); she ...
, George Carlin, and
Raquel Castro Raquel Castro is an American actress and singer. She is known for starring in the 2004 film '' Jersey Girl'' as Gertie Trinké, the daughter of Ollie Trinké (Ben Affleck) and Gertrude Steiney (Jennifer Lopez), for which Castro won the Young Art ...
, Smith's first film outside the View Askewniverse, marked a new direction in Smith's career. The film took a critical beating as it was seen as, in Smith's own words, "''
Gigli ''Gigli'' ( ) is a 2003 American romantic comedy crime film written and directed by Martin Brest and starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Lainie Kazan. Despite popular media giving attention a ...
2''", because it co-starred Affleck and his then girlfriend,
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
. Smith heavily reedited the film to reduce Lopez's role to just a few scenes, but the film did poorly at the box office. Budgeted at $35 million, it earned $36 million. In the 2006 sequel ''
Clerks II ''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawso ...
'', Smith revisited the Dante and Randal characters from his first film. Roundly criticized before its release, the film won favorable reviews as well as two awards (the Audience Award at the
Edinburgh Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...
and the Orbit Dirtiest Mouth Award at the
MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editi ...
). It marked Smith's third trip to the Cannes International Film Festival, where it received an eight-minute standing ovation. The $5 million film, starring Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran,
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
, Mewes, Jennifer Schwalbach and Smith reprising his role as Silent Bob, earned $25 million. ''
Zack and Miri Make a Porno ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (also known simply as ''Zack and Miri'') is a 2008 American sex comedy film written, directed and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It was released on October 31, 2008. Plot Zack B ...
'' was originally announced in March 2006 as Smith's second non-Askewniverse film. The film began shooting on January 18, 2008, in
Monroeville, Pennsylvania Monroeville is a Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is located about 10 miles east of Pittsburgh. Monroeville is a suburb with mixed residential and commercial developments. As ...
, and wrapped on March 15, 2008. It stars
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
and
Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perfe ...
as the title characters who decide to make a low-budget pornographic film to solve their money problems. It was released on October 31, 2008, and ran into many conflicts getting an "R" rating. Rogen said: Smith took the film through the MPAA's appeals process and received an R rating without having to make any edits. ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' was considered a box-office "flop". It was hurt by "tepid media advertising for a movie with the title PORNO". In the aftermath of the film's performance, Smith's and Weinstein's business relationship became "frayed". ''Zack and Miri'' opened #2 behind '' High School Musical 3: Senior Year'' with $10,682,000 from 2,735 theaters, an average of $3,906. The "bankable" Rogen experienced his "worst box-office opening ever". In an interview with Katla McGlynn of the
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
, Smith said: It was announced in 2009 that Smith had signed on to direct ''A Couple of Dicks'', a buddy-cop comedy written by the Cullen Brothers and starring
Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...
and
Tracy Morgan Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for his television work as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1996–2003) and for his role as Tracy Jordan in the sitcom ''30 Rock'' (2006 ...
. Due to controversy surrounding the original title, it was changed to ''A Couple of Cops'', then reverted to its original title due to negative reaction, before finally settling on the title ''
Cop Out Cop out or cop-out may refer to: Film and television * ''Cop Out (2010 film)'', a comedy film directed by Kevin Smith * ''Cop-Out'', a film by Lawrence L. Simeone, produced by Kimberley Casey * ''Cop-Out'', the US title for the 1967 UK film '' ...
''. The film, shot from June to August 2009, involves a pair of veteran cops tracking down a stolen vintage baseball card, and was released on February 26, 2010, to poor reviews; it was the first film Smith directed but did not write. ''Cop Out'' opened at number 2 at the box office and was mired in controversy, mostly over reported conflicts on the set between Smith and Willis. It was the last time Smith worked with a major studio, leading him to return to his independent film roots. In September 2010, Smith started work on ''
Red State Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party — the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in b ...
'', an independently financed horror film loosely inspired by the
Westboro Baptist Church The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a small American, unaffiliated Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, founded in 1955 by pastor Fred Phelps. Labeled a hate group, WBC is known for engaging in homophobic and anti-American pickets, as ...
and its pastor,
Fred Phelps Fred Waldron Phelps Sr. (November 13, 1929 – March 19, 2014) was an American minister who served as the pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, worked as a civil rights attorney, and ran for statewide election in Kansas. He gained nation ...
. Weinstein and his brother
Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...
, who had been involved in the distribution of Smith's films except ''Mallrats'' and ''Cop Out'', declined to support ''Red State''. The film stars
Michael Parks Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks; April 24, 1940 – May 9, 2017) was an American singer and actor. He appeared in many films and made frequent television appearances, notably starring in the 1969–1970 series ''Then Came Bronson'', but ...
,
John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, an ...
and
Melissa Leo Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Critics' Choice ...
. Smith had said he would auction off rights to the $4 million film at a controversial event following its debut screening at
Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada *Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood *Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated place ...
but instead kept the rights to the film himself and self-distributed it under the
SModcast Pictures SModcast Pictures is an American film distribution company and a film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith in 2011. Kevin Smith announced at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival that he would release his latest movie ''Red State'' ...
banner. The January 2011 premiere drew protests from a half-dozen members of the church, along with many more who counter-protested Westboro members. Smith explained his decision as a way to return to an era when marketing a film did not cost four times as much as the film itself, a situation he called "decadent and deadening".''Red State'' was a box office bomb, earning just $1,104,682, and opened to poor reviews; the critical consensus (according to
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
) was "''Red State'' is an audacious and brash affair that ultimately fails to provide competent scares or thrills." In April 2011, Smith said that ''Red State'' had made its budget back by making $1 million on the first leg of the tour, $1.5 million from a handful of foreign sales and $3 million from a domestic distribution deal for VOD. Smith had said before ''Red State'' that he would soon retire from directing, and announced that his last movie would be ''
Clerks III ''Clerks III'' is a 2022 American comedy-drama film written, produced, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Smith. It serves as a standalo ...
''. In December 2013 he said he would continue to make films, but only ones that were uniquely his, as opposed to generic ones "anybody could make". In 2013 Smith directed ''
Tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share c ...
'', a horror film inspired by a story Smith and Mosier read about a
Gumtree Gumtree.com, known as Gumtree, is a British-based online classified advertisement and community website based at Hotham House, Richmond, London. Classified ads are either free or paid for depending on the product category and the geographical m ...
ad for a man who rents out a room in his house for free on the condition that the respondent dresses as a walrus for two hours per day. The project began pre-production in September 2013, and was shot in November of that year. Released September 19, 2014, it received mixed reviews. Before ''Tusk'' release, Smith wrote the script for a spin-off of the film, which he titled ''
Yoga Hosers ''Yoga Hosers'' is a 2016 American comedy horror film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is a spin-off of Smith's 2014 horror film ''Tusk'' and stars Smith's daughter Harley Quinn Smith, Lily-Rose Depp, and her father, Johnny Depp. The seco ...
''. The film began filming in August 2014, and was released in 2016. It stars Smith's daughter,
Harley Quinn Smith Harley Quinn Smith (born June 26, 1999) is an American actress and musician. Smith has appeared in the film ''Tusk'' and starred in its spin-off ''Yoga Hosers'', both written and directed by her father, filmmaker Kevin Smith. She is also the bas ...
, and
Lily-Rose Depp Lily-Rose Melody Depp (born 27 May 1999) is a French-American actress and model. Depp began her acting career with a small role in ''Tusk'' (2014), and went on to star in the period drama '' The Dancer'' (2016), in which she played Isadora Dunc ...
, reprising their two minor characters from ''Tusk'', with
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
playing his inspector character from the earlier film. Smith revealed at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con that he had written the script for a film called ''
Moose Jaws The ''True North'' trilogy is a series of horror comedy films written and directed by Kevin Smith. It consists of the films ''Tusk'' (2014), ''Yoga Hosers'' (2016), and the planned ''Moose Jaws''. Films ''Tusk'' is based on a story from Kevin Smi ...
'', which he described as "''
Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...
'' with a moose", and which is planned to be the third film in his ''True North'' trilogy. Smith wrote and directed one segment, ''Halloween'', of the 2016 horror
anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...
''
Holidays A holiday is a day set aside by Norm (social), custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate ...
'', in which each segment takes place during a different holiday. In June 2017, Smith started shooting '' KillRoy Was Here'', a horror film based on the graffiti phenomenon. Directed by Smith, the script was co-written with Andrew McElfresh, marking the first time he shared writing credit. It represents a retooling of their ''Anti-Claus'' film, which was initially canceled after the release of ''
Krampus Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure in the Central and Eastern Alpine folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral tra ...
'' due to the two stories' similarity. The film crew was mostly made up of students of the
Ringling College of Art and Design Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD) is a private art and design school in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded by Ludd M. Spivey as an art school in 1931 as a remote branch of Southern College but separated by 1933. History The origins of ...
, with shooting continuing over every semester break. In 2017, due to obstacles getting ''Clerks 3'' or ''Mallrats 2'' produced, Smith decided to write and direct a ''
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of hi ...
'' sequel instead, ''
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'' is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. Referring to his 2001 comedy ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', Smith has described the film as a remake/ ...
''. It was scheduled to be filmed in September 2017, but shooting was postponed to February and March 2019. The first trailer for the film was released on July 18, 2019. Smith announced a tour to accompany the film. On October 1, 2019, Smith announced on
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
that ''
Clerks III ''Clerks III'' is a 2022 American comedy-drama film written, produced, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Smith. It serves as a standalo ...
'' was happening and that
Jeff Anderson Jeffrey Allan Anderson (born April 21, 1970) is an American film and television actor, director, and screenwriter best known for starring as Randal Graves in ''Clerks,'' ''Clerks II,'' and ''Clerks III''. In between, he has appeared in other Kevi ...
, who had retired, had agreed to reprise his role as Randal. The film released on September 13, 2022.


Relationship with Harvey Weinstein

With the exception of ''Mallrats'', all of Smith's films until 2008 were financed and/or distributed by
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films inclu ...
and his brother
Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...
, via their companies
Miramax Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a leadi ...
,
Dimension Films Dimension Films is an American film production company owned by Lantern Entertainment. It was formerly used as Harvey and Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on June 30, 1993, to produce and relea ...
, and
The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America prior ...
. In 2008 Smith's relationship with Harvey Weinstein soured due to the financial failure of ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'', which Smith blamed on a lack of marketing. Nonetheless, they continued to discuss potential funding for other Smith projects, and The Weinstein Company co-produced Smith's 2016 talk show ''
Geeking Out ''Geeking Out'' is an American late night talk show comedy television series co-hosted by Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg. It premiered on AMC on July 24, 2016, during San Diego Comic-Con International. Premise Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg discus ...
''. Smith named the independent production company he created for the 2011 film ''Red State'' "The Harvey Boys" in Weinstein's honor. Smith is considered one of the writer-directors whose career Weinstein nurtured, a group that also includes
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...
and
David O. Russell David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American filmmaker. His early directing career includes the comedy films ''Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), '' Flirting with Disaster'' (1996), ''Three Kings'' (1999), and ''I Heart Huckabees'' (200 ...
. Smith severed professional ties with Weinstein when he was informed of his assault on Rose McGowan. Soon after allegations of rape and sexual assault by Weinstein publicly surfaced in October 2017, Smith said on Twitter that he was "ashamed" of his relationship with Weinstein. On his ''Hollywood Babble-On'' podcast, he said, "My entire career is tied up with the man", adding, "No fucking movie is worth all this." He lamented that in addition to working with Weinstein, "I sat out there talking about this man like he was a hero, like he was my friend, like he was my father." He pledged to donate all his future residuals from his Weinstein-produced films to the nonprofit organization Women in Film, which advocates for the inclusion of more women in film production. Smith later announced that, due to the declining appeal of his earlier films, the residuals from Weinstein-funded films may be lower than expected; he decided that he would instead donate $2,000 a month to Women in Film.


Frequent collaborators

Smith regularly casts the same actors in his film projects.
Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films. Early life Mewes was ...
has been in nine of his films, his wife
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (born April 7, 1971), sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, podcaster and retired reporter for ''USA Today''. Career While a ''USA Today'' reporter, Schwalbach met film director Kevin Smith ...
in eight and
Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...
in seven.


Writer

In 1997,
New Line New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
hired Smith to rewrite ''
Overnight Delivery ''Overnight Delivery'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Jason Bloom. It stars Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon as a college student and a stripper who take a road trip across America to retrieve a package that had been impulsiv ...
'', which was expected to be a blockbuster teen film. Smith's then-girlfriend
Joey Lauren Adams Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) is an American actress and director. Adams starred in ''Chasing Amy'', for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller role ...
almost took the role of Ivy in the movie, instead of the female lead in ''
Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woma ...
''. Eventually she lost out to
Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
, and ''Overnight Delivery'' was quietly released directly to video in April 1998. Smith was not credited for his contributions. He has said that the only scene that really used his dialogue was the opening scene, which includes a reference to longtime Smith friend Bryan Johnson. Smith was an uncredited screenwriter on the 2000 comedy-drama film '' Coyote Ugly''.


Comics and magazines

Smith has been a regular contributor to ''
Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
'' magazine. In 2005,
Miramax Books Miramax Books was an American publishing company started by Bob and Harvey Weinstein of Miramax Films to publish movie tie-ins. Between 2000 and 2005, while Jonathan Burnham was its president and editor-in-chief, the imprint published the memoirs ...
released Smith's first book, '' Silent Bob Speaks'', a collection of previously published essays (most from ''Arena'') dissecting pop culture, the film business, and Smith's personal life. His second book, ''My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith'', published by
Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...
, was another collection of previously published essays (this time blogs from Smith's website silentbobspeaks.com) and reached No. 32 on ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' Best Sellers List. Titan released Smith's third book, ''Shootin' the Sh*t with Kevin Smith: The Best of the SModcast'', on September 29, 2009. A lifelong comic book fan, Smith's early forays into comic books dealt with previously established View Askew characters, and were published by
Oni Press Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Grou ...
. He wrote a short
Jay and Silent Bob Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produc ...
story about Walt Flanagan's dog in ''Oni Double Feature'' No. 1, and followed it with a
Bluntman and Chronic Bluntman and Chronic are characters appearing in a fictional eponymous comic book series seen in the movies ''Chasing Amy,'' ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,'' and ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot''. Actual ''Bluntman and Chronic'' comic books based ...
story in ''Oni Double Feature'' #12. He followed these with a series of ''Clerks'' comics. The first was ''Clerks: The Comic Book'', which told of Randal's attempts to corner the market on ''Star Wars'' toys. The second was ''Clerks: Holiday Special'', where Dante and Randal discover that Santa Claus lives in an apartment between the Quick Stop and RST Video. Third was ''Clerks: The Lost Scene'', showing what happened inside Poston's Funeral Parlor. This story was later animated in the TV series style and included as an extra on the 10th Anniversary ''
Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...
'' DVD. Smith wrote the miniseries ''
Chasing Dogma ''Chasing Dogma'' is a comic book mini-series that chronicles the events of the two fictional stoners Jay and Silent Bob between two of their films: ''Chasing Amy'' and ''Dogma''. Elements of the plot, such as the stealing of a monkey, were canib ...
'', which tells the story of Jay and Silent Bob between the films ''
Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woma ...
'' and ''
Dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
''. He has written the
trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...
''
Bluntman and Chronic Bluntman and Chronic are characters appearing in a fictional eponymous comic book series seen in the movies ''Chasing Amy,'' ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,'' and ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot''. Actual ''Bluntman and Chronic'' comic books based ...
'', published by
Image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
, which purports to be a collection of the three issues of the series done by Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards (of ''Chasing Amy''). It includes a color reprinting of the story from ''Oni Double Feature'' No. 12, purported to be an early appearance by McNeil and Edwards. These stories have been collected in ''Tales From the Clerks'' (Graphitti Designs, ), which includes a new ''Clerks'' story tying into the ''Clerks 2'' material, and the story from ''Oni Double Feature'' #1. They were previously collected by Image Comics in three separate volumes, one each for ''Clerks'', ''Chasing Dogma'' and ''Bluntman and Chronic''. In 1999, Smith won a
Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...
, for Best New Talent in comic books. In 1999, Smith wrote "
Guardian Devil "Guardian Devil" is an eight-issue Daredevil story arc originally published by Marvel Comics in ''Daredevil'' (vol. 2) #1-8. It features the hero suddenly caring for an infant that may be either the Messiah or the Antichrist. The issues were writt ...
", an eight-issue story arc of ''
Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...
'' for
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
illustrated by
Joe Quesada Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books ...
. He produced a 15-issue tenure on ''
Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...
'' for
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
that saw the return of
Oliver Queen Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...
from the dead and the introduction of
Mia Dearden Mia Dearden is a DC Comics superheroine, the second character to take the mantle of Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy. Created by writer Kevin Smith and artist Phil Hester, she first appeared in ''Green Arrow'' (vol. 3) #2 (May 2001). She is one o ...
, a teenage girl who would become Speedy after Smith's run had ended. Smith returned to Marvel for two miniseries, '' Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do'' and '' Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target'', both of which debuted in 2002. The former was six issues long, but problems arose when the third issue was published two months after the initially scheduled release date. As a result, the final issues were delayed for at least three years, prompting Marvel to release an "in case you missed it" reprinting of the first three issues as one book before the remaining issues were released. The delay in part was due to Smith's work on ''Jersey Girl'' and ''Clerks II'', causing him to shelve completion of the miniseries until the films were completed. He was announced as the writer of an ongoing ''
Black Cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...
'' series and ''
The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...
'' in 2002, but because of the delays on ''Evil That Men Do'' and ''The Target'', the plan was changed so that Smith would start a third Spider-Man title, launched in 2004 by
Mark Millar Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer and television producer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series '' The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ex ...
instead. ''Spider-Man/Black Cat'' was completed in 2005, but ''Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target'' remains unfinished, with one issue published. Smith wrote the limited series '' Batman: Cacophony'', with art by friend
Walt Flanagan Walter Flanagan (born October 23, 1967) is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and (according to Smith's book ''Silent Bob Speaks'') i ...
, which ran from November 2008 to January 2009. The series featured the villains
Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
(a character created by Smith during his run at Green Arrow),
The Joker The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book ''Batman (comic book), Bat ...
,
Maxie Zeus Maximilian "Maxie" Zeus is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a minor enemy of Batman. He is depicted as a mentally ill former history professor who is obsessed with Greek mythology and believ ...
, and
Victor Zsasz Victor Zsasz ( or or , the last being the original Hungarian pronunciation), also known as Mr. Zsasz or simply Zsasz, is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.'' Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #1. The character first appea ...
. The
trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...
of ''Batman: Cacophony'' became a ''New York Times'' Bestseller in their Hardcover Graphic Books section. In 2010 Smith wrote a six-issue
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
miniseries, '' The Widening Gyre'', for DC, drawn by Walt Flanagan. The series was initially planned as 12 issues, with a long break planned between issues six and seven. After issue six was published, Smith and Flanagan's work on their reality show, ''
Comic Book Men ''Comic Book Men'' is an American reality television series which aired on the AMC network from 2012 to 2018. It is set at Kevin Smith's comic book shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, in Red Bank, New Jersey. Production history Filmmaker Kev ...
'', extended this planned break longer than expected. It was decided in the interim to release the remaining issues as a separate series, '' Batman: Bellicosity'', scheduled for 2016, but it remains unreleased. Also in 2010, Smith published a
Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...
story for
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...
based on an unused script he wrote for a ''Green Hornet'' film that never came to fruition. In August 2011, Dynamite Entertainment debuted Smith's ''
The Bionic Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is re ...
'', which was based on a 1998 script he wrote that Universal rejected for being "more like a comic book than a movie." In 2014, Smith and
Ralph Garman Ralph Garman (born November 17, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, saxophonist, drummer and radio host best known as the host of ''The Joe Schmo Show'', for his voice work on the Fox animated series ''Family Guy'', former entertainment reporte ...
released a six-issue ''
Batman '66 ''Batman '66'' is a superhero comic book series published by DC Comics featuring Batman as a continuation of the 1966–68 television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The series was written primarily by Jeff Parker ...
'' crossover featuring Batman and Green Hornet, ''Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet''. On March 7, 2022, it was announced that Dark Horse and Smith would be teaming up to publish the books of Secret Stash Press, a new publishing line by Smith. The first two books of the line include ''Maskerade'', written by Smith and Andy Mcelfresh and ''Quick Stops'', written by Smith and set within the
View Askewniverse The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob ...
.


Television

In 1998, Smith shot two TV commercials for
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
in New Jersey. In 2000, Smith and Mosier teamed up with television writer
David Mandel David Mandel (born ) is writer, actor, director, and producer. He was an executive producer and showrunner of ''Veep'', and was also an executive producer and director of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and ''Seinfeld''. He is also a comedian, and on ...
to develop an animated television show based on ''Clerks'' called '' Clerks: The Animated Series''. Only the first two episodes aired, on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
in May 2000, before the series was canceled due to poor ratings. The six produced episodes were released on DVD in 2001. During the mid-1990s Smith directed and starred in a series of commercials for MTV, alongside
Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films. Early life Mewes was ...
, in which they reprised their roles as
Jay and Silent Bob Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produc ...
. In 1998 he directed Mewes as "Gary Lamb – Ground Activist" in a series of
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
commercials. That same year, he shot commercials for Diet Coke. Two years later, he directed ''Star Wars'' toy commercials for Hasbro. He has directed and starred in commercials for
Panasonic formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Osaka P ...
. In 2004 he shot a
public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
for the
Declare Yourself Declare Yourself was an American campaign that aimed to encourage young people to register to vote. The campaign was founded by philanthropist, Norman Lear in 2004 and was led by former American presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. The 2004 cam ...
organization, which promotes youth voter registration. These advertisements brought Jay and Silent Bob out of their "semi-retirement." On February 27, 2002, Smith released a short film for ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'', '' The Flying Car''. Smith directed the pilot for
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
supernatural comedy series ''
Reaper A reaper is a agricultural machinery, farm implement or person that wikt:reap#Verb, reaps (cuts and often also gathers) crops at harvest when they are ripe. Usually the crop involved is a cereal grass. The first documented reaping machines were ...
''. He described it as "less '' Brimstone'' or ''
Dead Like Me ''Dead Like Me'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller for ...
'' and more like ''
Shaun of the Dead ''Shaun of the Dead'' is a 2004 zombie comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Pegg stars as Shaun, a downtrodden salesman in London who is caught in a zombie apocalypse with his friend Ed (Nick Frost). The fi ...
'' than anything else". He added that he took the job because he had always wanted to direct something he did not write, but never had an interest in doing it on the big screen. Smith produced and appeared in the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** AM ...
reality television series ''
Comic Book Men ''Comic Book Men'' is an American reality television series which aired on the AMC network from 2012 to 2018. It is set at Kevin Smith's comic book shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, in Red Bank, New Jersey. Production history Filmmaker Kev ...
'', which is set inside Smith's comic book shop,
Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash (sometimes shortened to simply The StashMcLauchlin, Jim (June 1999). "Comic 'Clerks'", '' Wizard'' #94. pp. 30 - 33) is a comic book store owned by filmmaker Kevin Smith, and named after the fictional duo portray ...
, in
Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan A ...
. The show ran for seven seasons, from 2012Seidman, Robert (January 14, 2012)
"AMC's New Unscripted Series, 'Comic Book Men' Debuts February 12 at 10pm"
TV by the Numbers.
to 2018. A second series of ''Spoilers'' aired on
The Comedy Network CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy and formerly known as The Comedy Network) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming. The channel first launched on Octo ...
in Canada. Smith has directed 3 episodes of ''
The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
'' ("The Runaway Dinosaur", "Killer Frost", and "Null and Annoyed"), 4 episodes of ''
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' ("Supergirl Lives", "Distant Sun", "Damage" and "Bunker Hill") and 3 episodes of '' The Goldbergs'' ("The Dynamic Duo", "Graduation Day" and "Our Perfect Strangers"). In February 2017, Smith was announced to write, direct, and executive produce a TV series based on the Image Comics title ''
Sam and Twitch Sam Burke and Maximilian "Twitch" Williams are two fictional NYPD homicide detectives, created by Todd McFarlane. Sam and Twitch were originally featured in McFarlane's hit comic series ''Spawn''. Due to their popularity, they were later given th ...
'' for
BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary ser ...
. In February 2019, Smith was announced to cowrite, with
Dave Willis Dave Willis (born May 1, 1970) is an American voice actor, writer, animator, producer and musician. He is best known as the co-creator of the Adult Swim animated series ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' and '' Squidbillies'', the former of which he ...
, an animated web series based on
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
' ''
Howard the Duck Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...
'' for
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
. In January 2020, it was announced that the ''Howard the Duck'' series was scrapped. In 2022 Smith guest starred as himself on the
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
sitcom ''
Warped! ''Warped!'' is an American buddy comedy television series created by Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert that aired on Nickelodeon from January 16 to March 31, 2022. The series stars Kate Godfrey, Anton Starkman, Ariana Molkara, and Christopher Mar ...
'', in the episode "Plagiarized!"; in the episode, Smith announces to the lead characters what his new film would be, and the two leads believe Smith stole their similar idea and try to stop him.


Abandoned and stalled TV and film projects

In 1996, Smith worked on a script for a planned
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
film tentatively titled '' Superman Lives''. He wrote several drafts but was dropped from the project when
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
was hired to direct and brought his own team to write the script; Burton's attempt was later abandoned as well. Smith publicly discussed his experience working on the script at a Q&A session at
Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...
shown on the 2002 DVD ''
An Evening with Kevin Smith ''An Evening with Kevin Smith'' is a DVD featuring question and answer sessions that the comedian and filmmaker Kevin Smith held with his fans at various American colleges in 2001/2002. The colleges were: Clark University, Cornell University, In ...
''. In the Q&A, he said the experience was positive overall, since he loves Superman and was paid well. But he listed a number of unusual demands that producer
Jon Peters John Peters (born June 2, 1945) is an American film producer and former hairdresser. Early life Peters was born on June 2, 1945 in Van Nuys, California. Peters is of Cherokee (father) and Italian (mother) descent. While growing up in a rough ne ...
made, including that Superman not be shown flying or wearing tights, and that he should battle a giant spider at the end of the film. Smith noted that he went to see the 1999 film ''
Wild Wild West ''Wild Wild West'' is a 1999 American steampunk Western film co-produced and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock alongside Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, from a story penned by brothers Jim and John ...
'', which Peters produced, and was surprised to see a giant mechanical spider at the end of the film, presumably Peters's handiwork. Smith's description of his experience gained a life of its own, with film critic
A.O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic. He has been chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' since 2004, a title he shares with Manohla Dargis. Early life Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' calling it "extraordinary". In the 2007 direct-to-DVD animated film '' Superman: Doomsday'', Smith has a cameo as an onlooker in a crowd that alludes to this anecdote: after Superman defeats The Toyman's giant mechanical robot, Smith scoffs, "Yeah, like we really needed him to defeat that giant spider. Heh. ''Lame!''" In the early '00s, Smith was said to be writing '' Fletch Won'', a prequel to the
Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
film '' Fletch'', and was set to direct with Jason Lee in the lead role, but the plans ultimately came to nothing. Smith cited Miramax not seeing Lee's box-office appeal (in an ''Entertainment Weekly'' article covering the delays, Smith claimed Harvey Weinstein continually refused it personally or suggested he focus more on the disguises of the character in a matter similar to ''
Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American spy action comedy films: '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997), '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999) and ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002). The films were produced an ...
'', Smith admitting incredulity that Harvey refused even after Lee was frequently seen in billboards and posters in the city at the time, to promote his new show ''
My Name is Earl ''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Jaso ...
'', but admitting that Harvey's vision for the film clearly did not include Lee) as a reason for its abandonment. For a time Ben Affleck was considered for the role, with Chase framing the action as the narrator, looking back on his early adventures. In 2004, Smith wrote a screenplay for a film adaptation of ''
The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...
'', and announced that he intended to direct it. The project died after the poor box office of '' Jersey Girl''; the screenplay was later turned into a ''Green Hornet'' comic book miniseries. (A live-action film adaptation, ''
The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...
'', was released in 2011, with no involvement from Smith.) At the 2007
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
, it was announced that Smith would write and direct an episode of the ''
Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
'' spin-off '' Heroes: Origins'', but the project was canceled because of the
2007 Writers Guild of America strike 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...
. Smith planned to direct a hockey drama-comedy based on
Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Tho ...
's song " Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)". The song, about a hockey player famous for fighting in the rink, was co-written by
Mitch Albom Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American author, journalist, and musician. His books have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in his early career, he turned to writing the ...
, who worked with Smith on the project. Smith announced at the 2011 Sundance premiere of ''
Red State Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party — the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in b ...
'' that ''Hit Somebody'' would be the last film he directed, but that he would continue to tell stories in other media.Stewart, Sara (March 3, 2011)
"Kevin can wait"
. ''
The New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...
''.
In August 2011 ''Hit Somebody'' was announced as a two-part film titled ''Hit Somebody: Home'' and ''Hit Somebody: Away'', with part 1 rated PG-13 and part 2 rated R, but later it became one film again. In December 2012 Smith announced that, due to difficulties finding funding, ''Hit Somebody'' would be a six-part miniseries on an as-yet unknown network. Smith announced in March 2015 that ''Hit Somebody'' would film from September to Christmas 2015, but this did not happen. On March 12, 2015, Smith said he would film ''Clerks III'' in May 2015, followed in early 2016 by ''Moose Jaws'' and ''Anti-Claus'' (a story inspired by the
Krampus Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure in the Central and Eastern Alpine folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral tra ...
tradition), which he confirmed the next day. On April 8, 2015, Smith said that ''Mallrats 2'' would instead be his next film. Most of the original film's cast (16 of the 18) signed on to appear in the sequel. In June 2016, Smith revealed that because
Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...
owns the rights to the ''Mallrats'' title a sequel would not be made; instead, it would be turned into a 10-episode TV series produced by
Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predeces ...
. He also confirmed that the film's entire cast would reprise their roles in the series. Toward the end of the month, Smith announced that he had closed a deal with Universal Television to pitch the series to networks and streaming services in August. In January 2016, Smith wrapped production on a pilot episode for a planned half-hour comedy series, ''Hollyweed''. He wrote and directed the pilot, which starred Smith and
Donnell Rawlings Donnell M. Rawlings (born December 6, 1968) is an American comedian, actor, and radio host. He is best known as a cast member on the Comedy Central sketch comedy TV series ''Chappelle's Show'' and the HBO drama ''The Wire''. Early life Donnell R ...
, along with
Kristin Bauer van Straten Kristin Bauer van Straten ( Neubauer) is an American film and television actress, notable for her roles as vampire Pamela Swynford De Beaufort on the HBO television series ''True Blood'', Jerry's girlfriend Gillian ("man hands") on ''Seinfeld'', ...
,
Frankie Shaw Rachel Frances Shaw (born 1981) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime series ''SMILF,'' based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, directed and starred in. Shaw ...
,
Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films. Early life Mewes was ...
,
Ralph Garman Ralph Garman (born November 17, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, saxophonist, drummer and radio host best known as the host of ''The Joe Schmo Show'', for his voice work on the Fox animated series ''Family Guy'', former entertainment reporte ...
,
Adam Brody Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor, writer, musician, and producer. He is known for his breakthrough role as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series ''The O.C.'', which premiered in 2003. Subsequently, Brody appeared ...
, Hina Abdullah, Pete Pietrangeliand and
Harley Quinn Smith Harley Quinn Smith (born June 26, 1999) is an American actress and musician. Smith has appeared in the film ''Tusk'' and starred in its spin-off ''Yoga Hosers'', both written and directed by her father, filmmaker Kevin Smith. She is also the bas ...
. The pilot was not picked up. In July 2018, it was released as the inaugural pilot on the new TV crowdsourcing site Rivit TV, in hopes of getting funded as a web series. In May 2016, Smith announced that he was adapting the 1984 film ''
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'', often shortened to ''Buckaroo Banzai'', is a 1984 American science fiction film produced and directed by W. D. Richter and written by Earl Mac Rauch. It stars Peter Weller in the ...
'' for television through
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
and said he and the company were shopping it around to networks. In July 2016, it was revealed that
Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...
was close to closing a deal to produce the series, but in November 2016, during a Facebook Live Stream, Smith said he would walk away from the series after MGM filed a lawsuit against the original creators but would be willing to come back on board if they wanted him.


Acting roles

As an actor, Smith is best known for his role as Silent Bob in ''
Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...
'', ''
Mallrats ''Mallrats'' is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, Joey Lauren Adams, Michael Rooker, and Smith as Silent Bob. ...
'', ''
Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woma ...
'', ''
Dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
'', ''
Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of hi ...
'', and ''
Clerks II ''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawso ...
''. He made a cameo appearance in the horror film ''
Scream 3 ''Scream 3'' is a 2000 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Lance Henriksen, Matt Keeslar, Jenny McCarthy ...
'', and was featured along with
Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films. Early life Mewes was ...
in several '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' episodes, including a special, "Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi" (also as a fictional version of himself). Smith played the role of Paul, a cynical divorced man, in a
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
television series pilot, ''Manchild'', filmed in December 2006. It was not picked up by the network. From 1995 to 1999, Smith played small roles in the View Askew films ''
Drawing Flies ''Drawing Flies'' is a 1996 comedy film from Kevin Smith's View Askew Productions. It was written, directed, and edited by filmmakers Malcolm Ingram and Matt Gissing, with financial backing from Smith and Scott Mosier. This was Jason Lee's first ...
'', ''
Vulgar Vulgar is a Latin word meaning "common" or "pertaining to ordinary people." Language * Vulgar or common language, the vernacular speech of a region or a people * Language use characterised by vulgarity, see Vulgarism and Other uses *A vul ...
'', and ''
Big Helium Dog ''Big Helium Dog'' is a 1999 comedy film. It is produced by Kevin Smith's View Askew production company and also features the Broken Lizard comedy troupe in starring ( Kevin Heffernan) and supporting (Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, and Erik St ...
''. In 2001, he appeared in friend Jeff Anderson's film '' Now You Know''. In 2003, Smith appeared in a cameo role as coroner Jack Kirby in the film ''
Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...
''. In 2006, he voiced the Moose in the CGI cartoon ''
Doogal ''The Magic Roundabout'' (known as ''Pollux – Le manège enchanté'' in France) is a 2005 computer-animated adventure fantasy film based on the original stop motion and computer generated imagery reboot television series of the same name. It ...
''. In early 2005, Smith appeared in three episodes of the Canadian-made teen drama '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. He wrote his own dialogue for the episodes. An avid fan of the original ''
Degrassi ''Degrassi'' is a Canadian television franchise created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler in 1979. It is centred on a multigenerational teen drama about an ensemble cast of teenagers attending the namesake Toronto school as they navigate their ad ...
'' series ''
Degrassi Junior High ''Degrassi Junior High'' is a Canadian television series and the second series in the ''Degrassi'' franchise created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler. A successor but not a direct spin-off of ''The Kids of Degrassi Street'', it debuted on CBC o ...
'' and ''
Degrassi High ''Degrassi High'' is a Canadian teen drama television series and the third series in the Degrassi franchise, ''Degrassi'' franchise created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood. A direct continuation of ''Degrassi Junior High'', it debuted on CBC Telev ...
'', Smith references them in some of his early films. In the episodes, portraying a fictionalized version of himself, he visited the school to work on the fictional film ''Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!'' All three episodes were collected on the DVD ''Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi''. Smith and Mewes reappeared in two episodes the following season, in which they returned to Degrassi for the Toronto premiere of the movie. Smith also appeared in the 2009 made-for-TV movie ''
Degrassi Goes Hollywood ''Degrassi Goes Hollywood'' is a 2009 Canadian film adaptation of the popular, long-running teenage drama '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. The movie premiered in the United States on The N on 14 August 2009, and in Canada on CTV on 30 August ...
''. In 2007 Smith appeared in a number of films, co-starring as Sam in ''
Catch and Release Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returned ...
'', starring
Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Compan ...
, and appearing as The Warlock, a hacker, in the fourth installment of the ''
Die Hard ''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan, with a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. Based on the 1979 novel '' Nothing Lasts Forever'', by Roderick Thorp, it stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Ale ...
'' franchise, ''
Live Free or Die Hard ''Live Free or Die Hard'' (released as ''Die Hard 4.0'' outside North America) is a 2007 American action-thriller film directed by Len Wiseman, and serves as the fourth installment in the ''Die Hard'' film series. It is based on the 1997 articl ...
''. At year's end, he appeared briefly in friend and fellow writer-director Richard Kelly's ''
Southland Tales ''Southland Tales'' is a 2006 American dystopian comedy thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly. The film features an ensemble cast including Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, and Justin Timber ...
'', in which he played the legless conspiracy theorist General Simon Theory. The same year, Smith did voicework for the CGI film '' TMNT'' as a diner chef and was seen as Rusty (a friend of lead Jason Mewes) in '' Bottoms Up'' with co-star Paris Hilton. Smith cameoed in the second-season premiere of the sitcom ''
Joey Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...
'', playing himself, on an episode of ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' (2000, episode "Black, White and Blue"), ''
Duck Dodgers Duck Dodgers is the metafictional star of a series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros., featuring Daffy Duck in the role of a science fiction hero. He first appeared in the 1953 cartoon short ''Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century'', directed b ...
'' (2003 as
Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in '' ...
, voice only) and ''
Yes, Dear ''Yes, Dear'' is an American television sitcom created by Alan Kirschenbaum and Gregory Garcia, that aired on CBS from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, with the total of six seasons and 122 episodes. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Louis ...
'' (2004, as himself and as Silent Bob behind the end credits). He appeared in the second episode of season two of ''
Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...
'', playing a store clerk. Before it aired, Smith watched the show's first season and raved about it in his "online diary", calling it one of the best shows in the history of television. Smith does a voice cameo in '' Superman: Doomsday'' as a bystander. He had a cameo appearance as "Bob the Security Guard" alongside
Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films. Early life Mewes was ...
as "Jay the Security Guard" on ''
The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
'' episode, "Null and Annoyed", which he also directed. Smith played himself in the video game '' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham'' as a playable character. Smith appears as himself in '' Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare'' Zombies, as a cameo and a playable character in the map, Rave in the Redwoods. In 2017, he appeared as himself in the animated film '' Teen Titans: The Judas Contract'' from the
DC Universe Animated Original Movies The DC Universe Animated Original Movies (DCUAOM; also known as DC Universe Original Movies or DC Universe Movies or DC Animated Movies) are a series of American direct-to-video superhero animated films based on the DC Comics characters and sto ...
series. Smith had a voice cameo in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and an on-screen cameo in '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker''.


Q&A documentaries and other specials

Smith has appeared in five Q&A documentaries: ''
An Evening with Kevin Smith ''An Evening with Kevin Smith'' is a DVD featuring question and answer sessions that the comedian and filmmaker Kevin Smith held with his fans at various American colleges in 2001/2002. The colleges were: Clark University, Cornell University, In ...
'' (2002), '' An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder'' (2006), '' Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith'' (2007), '' Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40'' (2010) and '' Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell'' (2012). All five have been released on DVD, and the last two were broadcast on the cable channel
Epix Epix (pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as P) is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the Epix Entertainment LLC subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a subsidiary of Amazon's MGM Holdings, Inc. The channel's pr ...
. The first is a collection of filmed appearances at American colleges, while the sequel was shot at two Q&A shows held in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
and London. The third and fourth were filmed in Red Bank, New Jersey at the Count Basie Theater on Smith's 37th and 40th birthdays, respectively. The fifth was filmed in Austin, Texas at the Paramount Theater. The first two DVD sets were released by Sony Home Video, while the third was put out by the Weinstein Company. A stand-up special, entitled ''Kevin Smith: Silent But Deadly'', filmed a mere hour before Smith's heart attack, premiered in 2018 on the cable channel
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
and was later released to DVD. Smith appears with Marvel Comics'
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
in ''Marvel Then & Now: An Evening With Stan Lee and Joe Quesada, hosted by Kevin Smith''. The film is similar in tone to the ''Evening with Kevin Smith'' series. Proceeds from the film benefit
The Hero Initiative The Hero Initiative, formerly known as A Commitment to Our Roots, or ACTOR, is the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers and artists in need. Founded in late 2000 by a consortiu ...
, a charitable organization that aids ill or aging comic book creators.


Other film and television appearances

After an August 2001 appearance on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...
'' to promote ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', Smith returned to the show for monthly segments as a correspondent. The "Roadside Attractions" segments featured him traveling to places around the country, including
Howe Caverns Howe Caverns is a cave in Howes Cave, Schoharie County, New York. Howe Caverns is a popular tourist attraction, providing visitors with a sense of caving or spelunking, without needing the advanced equipment and training usually associated with s ...
in upstate New York and the Fish Market in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. At least 12 of these segments were aired, and Smith regularly appeared on the program to introduce the pre-taped pieces. Five of the segments were also included on the '' Jersey Girl'' DVD. Smith appeared in the 2006
mtvU MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel was first known as VH1 Uno from 2000 to ...
show '' Sucks Less with Kevin Smith''. The show gives college students ideas for things to do on the weekends. In 2006, Smith guest reviewed on '' Ebert & Roeper'', in place of
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
, who was recovering from
thyroid cancer Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck. C ...
treatment. These spots were notable for the arguments between Smith and
Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...
over certain films, with Smith often citing Roeper's negative review of ''Jersey Girl'' to discredit his review of the film at hand. On one appearance, Smith compared
Craig Brewer Craig Brewer (born December 6, 1971) is an American filmmaker. His 2005 movie ''Hustle & Flow'' won the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and achieved commercial success, along with an Academy Award for Best Original Song, " It's ...
's '' Black Snake Moan'' to the works of
William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...
. Smith was featured as one of the interview subjects in ''
This Film Is Not Yet Rated ''This Film Is Not Yet Rated'' is a 2006 American documentary film about the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system and its effect on American culture, directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Eddie Schmidt. It premiered at the 200 ...
'', a 2006 documentary about the
Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
's process of rating films. Smith discussed how '' Jersey Girl'' receiving an R rating, on the basis of a conversation two characters in that film have about masturbation, which MPAA head
Joan Graves Joan Eldridge Graves (born 1941/1942) is an American media professional who served as a senior vice president Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the fiv ...
told Smith she would not feel comfortable having her 16-year-old daughter watching. Smith's response was to question whether Graves' daughter had not already masturbated or learned about masturbation, arguing that his film was not teaching 16-year-olds anything they did not already know. Smith teamed with
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** AM ...
and
The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America prior ...
to co-host a late night talk show with
Greg Grunberg Gregory Phillip Grunberg (born July 11, 1966) is an American film and television actor best known for starring as Eric Weiss in the ABC series ''Alias'', Matt Parkman in the NBC series ''Heroes'', Temmin "Snap" Wexley in '' Star Wars: The Forc ...
, ''
Geeking Out ''Geeking Out'' is an American late night talk show comedy television series co-hosted by Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg. It premiered on AMC on July 24, 2016, during San Diego Comic-Con International. Premise Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg discus ...
'', which premiered in July 2016, covering
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
with 8 subsequent episodes running weekly. In February 2019, he made his second appearance on ''
The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...
'' in season 12 episode 16, "The D&D Vortex", alongside other guests stars,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...
,
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
, and
Joe Manganiello Joseph Michael Manganiello ( ; , ; born December 28, 1976) is an American actor. His professional film career began when he played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man''. His breakout role was as werewolf Alcide Herveaux in five seasons of ...
in a storyline where they get together at the home of recurring star
Wil Wheaton Richard William Wheaton III (born July 29, 1972) is an American actor. He portrayed Wesley Crusher on the television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', Gordie Lachance in the film ''Stand by Me (film), Stand by Me'', Joey Trotta in '' ...
, to play ''
Dungeons and Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). ...
''. His first appearance was in season 8 episode 20, "The Fortification Implementation", when he joins
Wil Wheaton Richard William Wheaton III (born July 29, 1972) is an American actor. He portrayed Wesley Crusher on the television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', Gordie Lachance in the film ''Stand by Me (film), Stand by Me'', Joey Trotta in '' ...
on a podcast, voice only. On November 16, 2019,
Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...
published "Bonus: Kevin Smith Explains ''The Expanse''" as a forerunner to series 4 of ''
The Expanse Expanse or The Expanse may refer to: Media and entertainment ''The Expanse'' franchise * ''The Expanse'' (novel series), a series of science fiction novels by James S. A. Corey * ''The Expanse'' (TV series), a television adaptation of the ...
'', in which Kevin helps explain the action that unfolded during the first three seasons. Two days later it was published to YouTube.


Public appearances

Smith's longest Q&A session took place April 2, 2005, at the
Count Basie Theatre The Count Basie Center for the Arts is a landmarked performing arts center in Red Bank, New Jersey, United States. In 1926, the building opened as the "Carlton Theater" became the "Monmouth Arts Center" in 1973, and was renamed "Count Basie The ...
in Red Bank, New Jersey. The sold-out event was over seven hours long, took place from 8 pm through 3 am (which due to
daylight saving time Daylight saving time (DST), also referred to as daylight savings time or simply daylight time (United States, Canada, and Australia), and summer time (United Kingdom, European Union, and others), is the practice of advancing clocks (typicall ...
, was actually 4 am). Following the Q&A, he opened
Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash (sometimes shortened to simply The StashMcLauchlin, Jim (June 1999). "Comic 'Clerks'", '' Wizard'' #94. pp. 30 - 33) is a comic book store owned by filmmaker Kevin Smith, and named after the fictional duo portray ...
for a meet-and-greet with the numerous remaining audience members, which ended around 6:30 am. Smith then hopped on a plane and did another Q&A at the Raue Center for the Arts in
Crystal Lake Crystal Lake or Crystal Lakes may refer to: Lakes Canada * Crystal Lake (Saskatchewan) * Crystal Lake (Ontario), drain into the Lynn River, which drains into Lake Erie United States * Crystal Lake, California, a mountain lake in Nevada Co ...
, Illinois, that night. Planned for two hours, it lasted just over five hours, ending a little after 1 am Central time. Smith made sold-out appearances at
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
in 2009 and the
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
in 2010.


On the Internet

Smith has a website, The View Askewniverse, which went online in late 1995. He has an online blog, "My Boring-Ass Life", the contents of which were published in a book by the same name. ''
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of hi ...
'' fictional website MoviePoopShoot.com became real in 2002. It became
Quick Stop Entertainment Fred Entertainment (formerly Movie Poop Shoot and later Quick Stop Entertainment) is a pop-culture website. The site was founded as Movie Poop Shoot by director Kevin Smith to promote the 2001 movie ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''. The site serv ...
and was the home of SModcast until it was sold and SModcast moved to a dedicated website
SModcast.com SModcast Podcast Network is a podcast network owned by Kevin Smith. The network was started in January 2010 to host the podcast ''SModcast'' alongside the popular ''Tell 'Em Steve-Dave!'' and ''Highlands: A Peephole History''. Current podcasts ...
, which carries the other SModcast network
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
s in early 2010. On February 5, 2007, Smith and
Scott Mosier Scott A. Mosier (born March 5, 1971) is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, ''SModcast''. Early life Mosier was born in Vanco ...
began
SModcast ''SModcast'' is a podcast featuring filmmaker Kevin Smith. The show was initially co-hosted with Smith's long-time producing partner Scott Mosier, although over the years, Mosier's appearances have been sporadic with a series of guest hosts taki ...
, a regular comedy podcast. SModcast has since spawned into a podcast network called the SModcast podcast network which began in 2010, its own
digital radio Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services. Types In digital broadcasting syst ...
station called SModcast Internet Radio (S.I.R) in 2011 and an internet television channel SModCo Internet Television (S.I.T.) in 2012. On June 4, 2012, Smith premiered his
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
weekly series '' Spoilers'', described as an "anti-movie review" series, where Smith takes a group of people to a new film and has them comment on what they have seen. Other segments on the show include interviews with celebrities, and the "Criterion Lounge", where Smith discusses a
Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...
film available on DVD and the Hulu Plus service. On December 14, 2015, Smith began posting his ''Fatman on Batman'' series on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. In late 2015, Smith and Jason Mewes began the web series "What's in the Box?" on the
Screen Junkies Screen Junkies is an online movie magazine and YouTube channel, owned and operated by Fandom, that focuses primarily on movies and television. Screen Junkies produce numerous shows now spread across two YouTube channels, including ''The Screen J ...
website, through the site's streaming service.


Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash

Smith owns and operates
Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash (sometimes shortened to simply The StashMcLauchlin, Jim (June 1999). "Comic 'Clerks'", '' Wizard'' #94. pp. 30 - 33) is a comic book store owned by filmmaker Kevin Smith, and named after the fictional duo portray ...
in Red Bank, New Jersey, a comic book store largely dedicated to merchandise related to his films and comics. He purchased the original store in January 1997 for $30,000, using the money he earned from ''Clerks''. The current location is its second. The store was moved to a defunct ice cream parlor on Broad St. after Smith sold the Monmouth St. property. The New Jersey location is managed by Smith's long-time friend
Walt Flanagan Walter Flanagan (born October 23, 1967) is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and (according to Smith's book ''Silent Bob Speaks'') i ...
, who appears frequently in Smith's films. A second Secret Stash in the Westwood section of Los Angeles was opened in September 2004 and was managed by long-time friend and associate Bryan Johnson, who has appeared in Smith's films as Steve-Dave.Smith, Kevin (September 12, 2007)
"Some pity-oral, who is and isn't 'Zack', and the shuttering of a comic book emporium"
. My Boring Ass Life.
Smith had announced that he would close after his lease expired and Johnson wanted to resign, but eventually relocated to Laser Blazer, a now-defunct laserdisc and DVD store in Los Angeles. In January 2009, the Los Angeles store closed, leaving the Red Bank store as Smith's only operating store.


Personal life

After the success of his first films, Smith moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, though he felt homesick due to being away from
Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan A ...
. He dated actress
Joey Lauren Adams Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) is an American actress and director. Adams starred in ''Chasing Amy'', for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller role ...
, and declared his desire to marry her in ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine. Smith and Adams' relationship was tested by their working together on ''
Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woma ...
'', and the two had a heated argument while on the film's set. They broke up in June 1997. Smith is married to
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (born April 7, 1971), sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, podcaster and retired reporter for ''USA Today''. Career While a ''USA Today'' reporter, Schwalbach met film director Kevin Smith ...
, whom he met while she was interviewing him for ''USA Today''.Plus One, podcast, smodcast.com, retrieved April 2013 They got married at Skywalker Ranch on April 25, 1999. He photographed her for a nude pictorial in ''Playboy'' that consisted of photographs by various celebrities. Their daughter,
Harley Quinn Smith Harley Quinn Smith (born June 26, 1999) is an American actress and musician. Smith has appeared in the film ''Tusk'' and starred in its spin-off ''Yoga Hosers'', both written and directed by her father, filmmaker Kevin Smith. She is also the bas ...
, was born June 26, 1999, and was named after Harley Quinn, the character from ''Batman: The Animated Series''. They live in the Hollywood Hills in a house Smith purchased from his longtime friend
Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...
in 2003. Though raised Catholic Church, Catholic, Smith began to become disillusioned about his beliefs in his early 20s, and came to see Mass in the Catholic Church, Catholic Mass as "dry and lip-servicey". Seeking out advice, Smith spoke to a priest, who analogized faith to liquid filling a shot glass, and explained that the glass grows in size as a person grows older, and thus the same knowledge that satisfies a person as a child can be insufficient as an adult. Smith researched Christianity thoroughly, explored other religions, read the Biblical apocrypha, and tried joining a Pentecostal congregation. The thoughts and ideas he explored during this time formed the inspiration for his film ''
Dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
'', the beginning of which features characters using the shot glass metaphor used by the priest. Though Smith still regularly attended Mass as late as 1998, he stated on "Back to the Well", a feature on the ''Clerks II'' documentary, that he only goes to Mass on the day before he starts production of a film, and the day before it premieres. In September 2014, Smith said that he believes in God, stating "Proof of God is that I have a career." Conversely, in a 2015 interview, he said that he had left both Catholicism and a belief in God behind, stating that the death of his dog was what caused him to do so. He said that upon the dog's death, he realized that dogs do not have religious beliefs. This in turn made him decide that religion was something meant to comfort children who were afraid of death. As an adult, Smith decided he no longer needed religion if his dog did not. When asked about his religious beliefs in 2017, Smith said that he "believes in people". Smith is an avid hockey fan and supports the New Jersey Devils. He is also a fan of the Edmonton Oilers.


Health

Smith never smoked until his debut film, ''Clerks'', in which he used the cigarettes as a prop, but did not inhale. He quit Smoking cessation, smoking cigarettes in 2008 after taking up smoking Cannabis (drug), cannabis after working with
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
on ''
Zack and Miri Make a Porno ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (also known simply as ''Zack and Miri'') is a 2008 American sex comedy film written, directed and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It was released on October 31, 2008. Plot Zack B ...
''. Smith has had a history of Yo-yo effect, yo-yo dieting. He lost upon meeting his wife. During production of ''
Clerks II ''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawso ...
'' in 2005, he went from to . After watching ''Fed Up (film), Fed Up'', he eliminated sugar from his diet and took up juice fasts in 2014, lowering his weight from to . On February 25, 2018, after performing a stand-up comedy show at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, Smith suffered a severe Myocardial infarction, heart attack caused by a total blockage of the Anterior interventricular branch of left coronary artery, left anterior descending artery. An ambulance rushed him to the nearby Glendale Adventist Medical Center for emergency surgery, from which he recovered. Following the episode, his doctor told him he needed to lose another . He adopted a vegan diet, also joining WW International, Weight Watchers and becoming a paid spokesperson for the brand. In an Instagram post from the 5th anniversary of his heart attack, Smith confirmed that he had quit smoking weed in early 2023.


Philanthropy

Smith is co-founder of 'The Wayne Foundation', a former charity supporting women affected by human trafficking and exploitation. In February 2019, he donated some of his previously worn jerseys to be auctioned off for the charity. In 2018,
Vancouver Film School Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver ...
announced three 'Kevin Smith Scholarships' in Acting, Writing and Film Production covering full-tuition. Thirteen partial scholarships were awarded, funded by Smith. He personally selected the recipients from over nine hundred applications.


Filmography

Smith has directed fourteen feature films since 1994; he was the screenwriter for all but one of them, ''
Cop Out Cop out or cop-out may refer to: Film and television * ''Cop Out (2010 film)'', a comedy film directed by Kevin Smith * ''Cop-Out'', a film by Lawrence L. Simeone, produced by Kimberley Casey * ''Cop-Out'', the US title for the 1967 UK film '' ...
'' (2010). He has created and executive produced the TV series '' Clerks: The Animated Series'' (2000–2001), '' Sucks Less with Kevin Smith'' (2006), ''
Comic Book Men ''Comic Book Men'' is an American reality television series which aired on the AMC network from 2012 to 2018. It is set at Kevin Smith's comic book shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, in Red Bank, New Jersey. Production history Filmmaker Kev ...
'' (2012–2018) and ''
Geeking Out ''Geeking Out'' is an American late night talk show comedy television series co-hosted by Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg. It premiered on AMC on July 24, 2016, during San Diego Comic-Con International. Premise Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg discus ...
'' (2016). Since 2016, he has regularly directed episodes for a number of television shows. Smith has had many small acting roles in films and television, often playing himself or otherwise making a cameo appearance.


Recognition

In 2019, ''Clerks'' was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".


Bibliography


''View Askewniverse''

*
Oni Press Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Grou ...
: **''Oni Double Feature'' (anthology): *** "Walt Flanagan's Dog" (with Matt Wagner, in #1, 1998) *** "Bluntman and Chronic, The Derris Affair" (with Mike Allred, in #12, 1999) **''Clerks (comics), Clerks: The Comic Books'' (tpb, 112 pages, 2000, ) collects: *** ''Clerks: The Comic Book'' (with Jim Mahfood, one-shot (comics), one-shot, 1998) *** ''Clerks Holiday Special'' (with Jim Mahfood, 1998) *** ''Clerks: The Lost Scene'' (with Phil Hester (comics), Phil Hester, one-shot, 1999) **''Chasing Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob'' #1–4 (with Duncan Fegredo, 1998–1999) collected as ''Jay and Silent Bob: Chasing Dogma'' (tpb, 112 pages, 1999, ) *''
Bluntman and Chronic Bluntman and Chronic are characters appearing in a fictional eponymous comic book series seen in the movies ''Chasing Amy,'' ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,'' and ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot''. Actual ''Bluntman and Chronic'' comic books based ...
'' (with Michael Avon Oeming and Neil Vokes; includes "The Derris Affair", graphic novel, 96 pages,
Image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
, 2001, ) *''Clerks (comics), Tales from the Clerks'': "Where's the Beef?" (with Jim Mahfood, new story for the collection, tpb, 400 pages, 2006, Graphitti Designs, ) ** In addition to the new story, this collection reprints all of the ''
View Askewniverse The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob ...
'' comics published by Oni Press and Image between 1998 and 2001. ** Graphitti Designs also released "Where's the Beef?" with some non-comics extras as a standalone, Wizard World Chicago, WWCC-exclusive one-shot titled ''Clerks II, Tales from the Clerks II'' (2006) *''Jay and Silent Bob's Blueprints for Destroying Everything'' (co-written by Smith and
Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films. Early life Mewes was ...
, illustrated by Steve Stark (artist), Steve Stark, 112 pages, Gallery Books, 2014, )


Marvel Comics

*Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), Daredevil (Marvel Knights): **
Daredevil #0
' (with
Joe Quesada Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books ...
, 17-panel Marvel CyberComics, cybercomic, 1998) **''
Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...
'' vol. 2 #1–8, ½: "Guardian Devil" (with Joe Quesada, 1998–1999) collected as ''Daredevil: Guardian Devil'' (hc, 232 pages, 2008, ; tpb, 2010, ) **'' Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target'' #1 (of 4) (with Glenn Fabry — and Adam Kubert as the artist for the following issue, 2003) *''9/11, Heroes'': "A Hero's Thoughts" (short poem with an illustration by Joe Quesada, one-page segment in the magazine-sized benefit comic, 2001) *''9/11, A Moment of Silence'': "Periphery" (with John Romita, Jr., anthology one-shot, 2002) *'' Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do'' #1–6 (with Terry Dodson, 2002–2006) collected as ''Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do'' (hc, 176 pages, 2006, ; tpb, 2007, ) ** This limited series (initially announced as a one-shot) was supposed to lead in to an ongoing ''
Black Cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...
'' series and a run on ''
The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...
'', both to be written by Smith and published concurrently. ** As a result of the three-year delay between issues #3 and 4 of ''The Evil That Men Do'' and the changes in Spider-Man's status quo during that period, neither project eventually materialized.


DC Comics

*''
Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...
'' vol. 3 (with Phil Hester, 2001–2002) collected as: **''Quiver (comics), Quiver'' (collects #1–10, hc, 232 pages, 2002, ; tpb, 2003, ) **''Sounds of Violence'' (collects #11–15, hc, 128 pages, 2003, ; tpb, 2004, ) **''Green Arrow by Kevin Smith'' (collects #1–15, ''DC Comics Absolute Edition, Absolute Edition'', 384 pages, 2015, ; tpb, 2016, ) *''The Brave and the Bold'' vol. 3 (with Phil Hester, unreleased ongoing series — initially announced in 2001) *
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
: **'' Batman: Cacophony'' #1–3 (with
Walt Flanagan Walter Flanagan (born October 23, 1967) is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and (according to Smith's book ''Silent Bob Speaks'') i ...
, 2008–2009) collected as ''Batman: Cacophony'' (hc, 144 pages, 2009, ; tpb, 2010, ) **''Batman: The Widening Gyre'' #1–6 (of 12) (with Walt Flanagan, 2009–2010) collected as ''Batman: The Widening Gyre'' (hc, 200 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2011, ) **'' Batman: Bellicosity'' (with Walt Flanagan, unreleased 6-issue limited series repurposed from the second arc of ''Batman: The Widening Gyre'' — initially announced in 2012) **''Detective Comics'' #1000: "Manufacture for Use" (with Jim Lee, co-feature, 2019) collected in ''Batman: 80 Years of the Bat Family'' (tpb, 400 pages, 2020, )


Dynamite Entertainment

*
Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...
: **''The Green Hornet (comics), Green Hornet'' vol. 3 (with Jonathan Lau, 2010) collected as: *** ''Sins of the Father'' (collects #1–5, hc, 144 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2010, ) *** ''Wearing o' the Green'' (collects #6–10, hc, 144 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2011, ) **''Batman '66, Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet'' #1–12 (co-written by Smith and
Ralph Garman Ralph Garman (born November 17, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, saxophonist, drummer and radio host best known as the host of ''The Joe Schmo Show'', for his voice work on the Fox animated series ''Family Guy'', former entertainment reporte ...
, art by Ty Templeton, digital comic, digital, 2014) *** The series was first published in print as a 6-issue limited series titled ''Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet'' (2014–2015) *** Collected as ''Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet'' (hc, 144 pages, 2015, ; tpb, 2015, ) *''The Bionic Man (comics), The Bionic Man'' #1–10 (script by Phil Hester on the basis of Smith's unused ''The Six Million Dollar Man#Other adaptations, The Six Million Dollar Man'' screenplay, art by Jonathan Lau, 2011–2012) *''Yoga Hosers, Yoga Hosers: A Sundance Super Special'': "When Colleens Collide!" (with Jeff Quigley, 2016)


Other publishers

*''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'':
My Date with Destiny!
(with Joe Quesada, webcomic, The New York Times Company, 2001) *''Hit-Girl (comic book), Hit-Girl: Season Two'' #1–4: "Hollywood" (with Pernille Ørum,
Image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
, 2019) collected as ''Hit-Girl in Hollywood'' (tpb, 112 pages, 2019, ) *'' Masters of the Universe: Revelation'' #1–4 (script by Tim Sheridan from a story by Smith and Rob David, art by Mindy Lee, Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse, 2021)


Non-fiction

*''Silent Bob Speaks, Silent Bob Speaks: The Collected Writings of Kevin Smith'' (sc, 352 pages,
Miramax Books Miramax Books was an American publishing company started by Bob and Harvey Weinstein of Miramax Films to publish movie tie-ins. Between 2000 and 2005, while Jonathan Burnham was its president and editor-in-chief, the imprint published the memoirs ...
, 2005, ) *''My Boring Ass Life, My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith'' (sc, 480 pages,
Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...
, 2007, ) *''SModcast, Shootin' the Sh*t with Kevin Smith: The Best of SModcast'' (sc, 384 pages, Titan Books, 2009, ) *''Tough Sh*t, Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good'' (hc, 480 pages, Gotham Books, 2012, ; sc, 2013, )


See also

* Kevin Smith's unrealized projects


References


External links

*
View Askew Productions
* * *
The Unmade Films of Kevin Smith
by Den of Geek {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Kevin Kevin Smith, 1970 births 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American writers 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American writers American bloggers American comics writers American male bloggers American male comedians American male film actors American male screenwriters American male television actors American podcasters Comedy film directors Film directors from New Jersey Former Roman Catholics Harvey Award winners for Best New Talent Henry Hudson Regional High School alumni Horror film directors Inkpot Award winners Living people Maker Studios people Male actors from New Jersey Marvel Comics people New Jersey culture People from Highlands, New Jersey People from Red Bank, New Jersey Screenwriters from New York (state) The New School alumni View Askewniverse Works by Kevin Smith, Unrealized Writers from New Jersey Postmodernist filmmakers