It’s sort of a formality, but Dickhouse – the production company started by Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze and Jeff Tremaine – has signed a first-look deal with Paramount. I say that it’s a formality because Dickhouse has been working with Paramount from the start, with the beginning of the Jackass TV show and later through the two Jackass movies.
Dickhouse has pretty much only dealt in the gross-out reality genre until now, also being behind Wildboyz, but the deal marks an expansion of what they’re doing. Part of the company’s new mandate will be to develop starring vehicles for Knoxville, to which I can only say: Finally. Knoxville’s a great and funny screen presence, but he has not been served well by just about any of the non-Jackass projects he’s been in. Working with Tremaine and Jonze means that he’ll probably be able to develop films that will fit him more comfortably, which I welcome.
There’s also the possibility that this could mean more Spike Jonze stuff, and not just the arty movies that everybody loves. The fact that Jonze hangs out with these guys proves he has a wonderfully low-brow side, and I would love to see him tackle a broad, R-rated ensemble comedy with his off-kilter sensibility.
The reports of the deal don’t mention a Jackass 3. It seems like Paramount would be happy to have one – the first two were very, very profitable, after all – but I can’t imagine what they would do with a third movie, short of actually killing Dave England.