For many years now, Kevin Smith has been fighting for the right to reclaim control of one of his most controversial but successful movies, Dogma. Now it looks as though those who have been praying for divine intervention to bring Smith’s movie back to the masses have had their wish granted, as the director has revealed some exciting news for fans of the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck film.
Dogma was originally released 25 years ago, in 1999. A fantasy comedy forming part of Smith’s View Askewniverse, the story centers on two fallen angels – played by Damon and Affleck – who attempt to get back into Heaven after being cast out by God. Unfortunately for them, their success would mean the destruction of all creation, and that means that they must be stopped before they can complete their task.
The last time anyone was able to purchase a new copy of Dogma was back in 2008, when the Blu-ray edition of the movie was released. However, with the arrival of streaming and digital downloads, many expected that this would have all changed by now, but due to the rights being held by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the film has remained languishing in limbo. While the downfall of Harvey Weinstein added even more problems for Smith to try and overcome – including having several offers to buy the rights to the movie, in his words, “scoffed at” – earlier this year it appeared that a breakthrough was finally made, and Dogma is now in the hands of someone who is willing to allow Smith to bring it back to theaters.
The Resurrection of Kevin Smith’s Most Controversial Movie
While appearing on That Hashtag Show to promote his latest venture, The 4:30 Movie, Smith elaborated on regaining the rights to Dogma and the imminent plans for its future. Smith explained that since the movie had been “bought away from the guy that had it for years,” the new rights owners offered him the chance to take the film on tour, something that Smith said he had jumped at the chance to do.
“I said, ‘100 percent, are you kidding me? Touring a movie that I know people like, and it’s sentimental and nostalgic? We’ll clean up.’ I think 2025 is when the movement is going to happen there. Back on home video, then back out in theaters, and I’ll tour it.”
While this is great news in itself for fans of Dogma, that may not be the end of the story either. According to the writer/director, he has some big plans for what could come next now that the movie is back in the fold.
Maybe, at this point, sequels, TV versions, in terms of extending the story. Something we could never do before. So exciting, man. And all those people who worked in it are still viable.
Dogma, as you would expect, brought an unholy amount of scorn down on Smith for its depictions of the Catholic Church. Even before the movie was released, protesters led organized rallies outside cinemas planning to screen it, and Smith himself became the subject of death threats. However, times have changed, and although there are still many who are not happy with anyone poking fun at religion in general, there are now many more who have done it in ways probably more blasphemous than anything seen in Dogma. It will certainly be interesting to see what new audiences think of the movie, having not been able to stumble across it for more than 15 years.