Paramount Pictures president Gail Berman has laid out the studio’s plans for the next couple of years, and one of the things that she mentioned that caught my eye was a sequel to Jackass.
The original Jackass was a monster smash for the studio – it cost only 5 million to make and it raked in 65 million domestically. It was also, I firmly believe, a work of complete genius. It’s like cinema stripped down to its most component parts, which happen to include inflicted paper cuts on yourself and pouring lemon juice on them. But seriously, it’s a comedy of simplistic beauty, and it has an incredibly high replay value.
At the time of the film’s original release I thought that was it for the Jackass crew, but it seems that reports of their group dissolution were greatly exaggerated. This summer when I spoke to Johnny Knoxville for the execrable Dukes of Hazzard, he lifted my spirits when he said he would be back, and here he comes. I just hope this isn’t an actual franchise – I don’t want these guys churning out another 89 minutes of pratfalls every year just because they have to. I want to see only the best stunts, in the worst possible taste.
Jackass II is scheduled for a holidays 2006 release. Which Gonad Would Jesus Electrocute?