Kevin Smith is well aware of the power of pop culture, so the fact that he is bringing a touch of The Evil Dead to his new Jay & Silent Bob movie is probably not the biggest surprise. While the actor/director/producer/writer has recently completed his new project, The 4:30 Movie, Smith has already announced that his next film will be the return of Jay & Silent Bob in their third titular effort.
As always, Smith’s Jay & Silent Bob 3 will feature many of his usual cohorts, as well as the usual budget-conscious production that will make use of a few specific custom props and location filming. In a recent post on his Instagram account, Smith shared a teasing look at one such prop; the NecroBobicon. If it sounds familiar, that is probably because it takes a lot of its inspiration from the demonic Necronomicon Ex-Mortis from Sam Raimi and Bruce Campell’s Evil Dead universe. Rather than summoning Deadites, though, this baseball cap-sporting tome has a different effect on those who read its cursed pages. As Smith explained:
“Behold the NecronomiKev – The Book of the Dead Film Careers! Kidding (kinda). It’s actually called The NecroBobicon! I commissioned [Nick Brown] (graduate of the [Tom Savini] School) to unearth this ancient, evil tome that features in the new [Jay & Silent Bob] flick [Jay Mewes] and I start shooting later this year.”
The NecroBobicon doesn’t swallow your soul – but legend has it that misuse of the book will leave the reader forever silent…
Kevin Smith’s Movies Are Usually Grounded, but Have Dabbled in Fantasy
While Kevin Smith is best known for being the creative mind behind popular comedies such as Clerks, Mallrats, and, of course, his Jay & Silent Bob movies, the real world setting of the films has occasionally tripped over into something more fantastical without ever breaking away too far from its grounded setting. From Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back’s momentary Planet of the Apes homage, and the all-out-fantasy premise of Jay & Silent Bob’s appearance in Dogma, there is always room for a small detour into something “beyond.”
The inclusion of the “NecroBobicon” is clearly going to provide that escape from reality in Jay & Silent Bob 3, but exactly how prominently it will feature in the movie is something that Smith is not ready to divulge just yet. With filming set for later this year, we can probably expect to discover all the answers about Smith’s Evil Dead parody sometime in 2025. In the meantime, The 4:30 Movie is expected to hit theaters later this year after securing distribution through Saban.
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Among the many other projects Smith has on his radar, a Mallrats sequel has been on the cards for several years. In the last few days, Smith was one of the first stars to pay tribute to the original film’s star, Shannen Doherty, who passed away after a long battle with cancer. In his lengthy, heartfelt tribute, Smith attributed the fact that Mallrats was even made to Doherty’s willingness to appear in the film. He wrote:
“Shannen was a true talent and she became a good friend, but lest anyone forget, she was the only reason Mallrats got green-lit in 1995. That’s because Shannen was one of the most famous people on the planet – and the fact that she picked Mallrats as her first follow-up to 90210 *made* that movie happen.”