The 90s remains one of the best decades in movie history, and to this day, it’s hard to find a decade that had a bigger impact on modern movies than the 90s. Things are constantly evolving, sure, but it will be hard for any decade to top what was achieved back when social media didn’t exist.
During the decade, Jay and Silent Bob made their cinematic debut in Clerks, eventually turning into one of the most popular comedy duos of all time. Kevin Smith hit a home run here, and at one point, a movie studio was interested in the characters taking on a horror icon.
Let’s take a look back at one of the strangest film ideas ever.
Jay And Silent Bob Debuted In ‘Clerks’
It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while, characters from a film will ingrain themselves in the mainstream while arguably becoming more popular than the film they appeared in. This is the case for Jay and Silent Bob, who made their cinematic debut back in 1994’s Clerks. The film is a classic of the decade, but the comedic duo went on to have a huge legacy of their own.
For many, Clerks was a film that came out of nowhere to establish itself as one of the best of its era. Keep in mind that this film made its debut back in 1994, which is one of the most stacked years in movie history. This was the same year that featured movies like Pulp Fiction, The Professional, The Shawshank Redemption, Interview with the Vampire, Ace Venture, Dumb & Dumber, and more. Crazy lineup, right? Despite the stiff competition, Clerks was still a standout film.
In the movie, Jay and Silent Bob are relegated to playing side characters, but this didn’t stop them from becoming one of the most talked about parts of the film. The duo provided such a sharp contrast to Dante and Randall, and they helped balance things out perfectly.
As Kevin Smith continued on his filmmaking journey, he made sure to bring the characters along for the ride.
They Were Popular Enough To Get Their Own Film
People rave about the MCU now, but Kevin Smith was in the cinematic universe game decades before Marvel got theirs off the ground. Following the success of Clerks, Smith would unleash a number off connected films, all of which featured Jay and Silent Bob doing what they do best.
Mallrats wasn’t quite the success that Clerks was, but Chasing Amy was considered more of a return to form for Smith. The duo were featured in both movies, though not as much in Chasing Amy compared to Mallrats. These projects gave way to Dogma, which heavily featured the guys, and soon enough, they were a big enough comedic duo to warrant their own film being made.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was an entire movie that chronicled the duo’s trip to Hollywood, and it remains a fan favorite of Smith’s works. It proved that the boys had staying power and were more than just side characters. As Smith’s universe continued, the duo were featured in Clerks II and in their second feature, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, which is Smith’s most recent project.
All of this is great and worked out well, but at one point, there was an odd decision that could have changed things drastically.
They Nearly Duked It Out With Pinhead From ‘Hellraiser’
Smith revealed that Bob Weinstein approached him about taking Jay and Silent Bob in an Abbott and Costello type of direction to prevent the duo from fading away. This would have led to them clashing with Pinhead from Hellraiser.
Smith recalled this conversation, saying, “He’s like, ‘We have Hellraiser, Pinhead. We have Michael Myers, Halloween. We have Children of the Corn. Why not Jay and Bob meeting the modern day monsters so it’s kind of like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein or The Wolfman but instead it’s Jay and Bob meeting Pinhead?’ And I was like, ‘Bob, I can’t get my head around that.’”
Smith even talked about discussing the idea with Ben Affleck.
“I remember I told Ben Affleck that idea. Next time I spoke to Ben I was like, ‘Bob Weinstein told me, he suggested that I do Jay and Silent Bob vs. Hellraiser.’ And Affleck starts laughing and then he stops and he goes, ‘You know what, man? That movie would make $100 million.’ I said, ‘Get out of here.’ He goes, ‘Come on, dude. Think about it. It’s just so f****** stupid that enough people might be like, ‘I want to see what happens,’” Smith revealed.
While this movie never happened, it is interesting to think of the box office potential that the movie had. It’s a crazy idea, but Hollywood is a strange place where anything is possible.