Kevin Smith Fights to Reclaim Dogma Rights and Brings It Back to Theaters

Twenty-five years since making waves in the box office scene and stirring up quite a bit of controversy, I’m thrilled to be part of the resurgence of Kevin Smith‘s “Dogma” as it graces our screens once more for its anniversary celebration. Penned and directed by Smith as the fourth chapter in his View Askewniverse, this film centers around a woman who discovers she is the last descendant with the mission to halt two fallen angels from exploiting a loophole in Catholicism to re-enter Heaven, an act that would unravel all creation. “Dogma” boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, and Alan Rickman, among others.

Initially highly successful upon its debut, the film “Dogma” has experienced a somewhat controversial afterlife in the ensuing years. For almost two decades, it has been hard to find on home media platforms, with the last available version being a Blu-ray released in 2008 and no streaming or digital releases. As Smith has previously mentioned, the Weinstein brothers held onto the rights tightly, despite multiple attempts by the filmmaker to repurchase them. Now, with Iconic Events’ assistance, Smith has regained control of “Dogma” rights and plans to reintroduce the movie in theaters.

To celebrate the film’s remake, Kevin Smith was interviewed by ScreenRant about Dogma. As a writer, director, and actor, Smith shared insights into his lengthy process of regaining ownership of the movie from Weinstein. He discussed why Weinstein initially refused him on several occasions, explained how Alessandra Williams and Iconic Events supported his efforts and broadened his plans for its re-release, and provided updates on the sequel’s progress and the upcoming home release of the movie.

Smith Was Turned Down By Weinstein Multiple Times

“Wrote Three Letters To A Convicted Rapist…”

In 2020, when Weinstein was arrested and convicted on rape charges, Smith initially showed great determination to reclaim the movie titled Dogma. This determination led him to write three letters and make three offers for the rights to the film. The initial offer was $250,000, which he later increased to $500,000, and in his third attempt, he asked Weinstein to gather additional funding from others because he didn’t have enough money himself, raising the offer to $1 million. However, Weinstein declined all three offers.

According to Smith’s account, it was the third time Weinstein’s lawyer provided him with details about the film rights when he informed the director, “You’re not quite there; he wants $5 million.” At this juncture, Smith deemed his efforts as over, expressing to someone, “If I had $5 million, I’d produce a brand-new movie instead of buying an old one, despite my affection for it.

Despite the numerous rejections I faced, fate led me to encounter Alessandra Williams, a kindred spirit in the world of films. She noticed my passion for this elusive project we both cherished and, being from the same region, our high schools weren’t far apart. Intrigued by its mystery, she confessed that she found it amusing yet didn’t initially grasp its meaning, so she kept re-watching it. When she saw my determination to bring it back to light, her conviction grew stronger: “People need to see this movie,” she said.

Apart from “luck and good timing”, Williams later found himself involved in Smith’s mission to save the film “Dogma” from Weinstein. He helped raise funds and even approached Weinstein’s lawyer when he was in need of money, as he continued his legal battles and required additional financial support. Interestingly, it wasn’t just “Dogma” that Smith purchased from Weinstein; Williams admitted to buying a collection of movies from him, including some karate films, Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11”, and Larry Clark’s controversial film “Kids”. Later on, Smith disclosed that Williams had kept “Dogma” after selling off the other films. When asked about his plans for it, Williams replied, “What would you do with it?”.

Smith playfully acknowledges being a person with “modest aspirations,” sharing with both Williams and us that his ambition for Dogma has always been “to bring it on tour” – similar to how he’s done with his recent films. As he put it, “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was an amazing 65-city tour for us.” He continued, “Clerks 3 was a 50-city tour. I said, ‘The formula is essentially, I charge people to see old movies they love, and it seems to be effective.’

This resulted in Williams suggesting to Smith the idea of releasing the film in conventional cinemas beyond just re-release, which Smith initially dismissed as unpopular. However, when he witnessed the overwhelming public support for Dogma’s return to theaters, Smith admitted his mistake and praised Williams as a “masterful manifestor.” Excited, Smith shared that the movie would be screened on approximately 1500-2000 screens across various theaters nationwide.

Smith Is Working Diligently On Dogma’s Sequel Script (But Also Isn’t Rushing It)

“I Can’t F—-ng Afford To Ruin A Dogma Spinoff”

Initially, Smith didn’t contemplate making a sequel due to his abundance of creative ideas, such as “Clerks 3” and the long-pending “Mallrats 2”. However, the writer/director is now prepared to create a Dogma sequel. Previously piqued by this possibility, Smith was further motivated when Williams voiced her interest in seeing a follow-up.

Smith chuckled as he acknowledged the situation: “Now, in a scenario where I’m open to continuations and such, she has the role that I’ve never really dabbled with before, and there might be some audience members thinking, ‘Yes, but there’s a valid reason not to do it.’ However, despite those concerns, I now find myself wanting to reassure the Dogma fans who are worried about me ‘messing it up’ or saying, ‘I saw Clerks 3, he’s no good!’ I can’t risk ruining a Dogma sequel. There are far too many people who cherish this film, so I can’t simply replicate the same movie again.

Smith’s decision to adopt a fresh strategy for the Dogma sequel stems from his changed perspective compared to when he wrote the original. This mirrors a line in the movie, “I don’t believe like that anymore.” However, he emphasizes that he has some innovative ideas and is actively working on the script at this time, explaining that while it may lack the initial faith-driven inspiration, it will be compensated by raw creativity. Moreover, he credits the tour with assisting him in developing the script.

After watching the film, you’ll likely think to yourself, “Indeed, this must be the Dogma sequel; it all falls into place now.” To say the least, I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. The tour has proven incredibly beneficial compared to merely basking in my own success. Instead, I’ve been listening attentively, nodding along as ideas for continuity and jokes that could be reused occur to me. Additionally, I’ve been noting potential plot points to resolve in the following movie.

Dogma Is Getting “A Fat F—-ng Steelbook”

Smith Also Used To Get Crafty To Rewatch The Film

According to the director, the movie “Dogma” will soon be available on a new home media format following its absence from shelves for almost twenty years. Interestingly, as Smith revealed, it will also come in a deluxe steelbook version. He’s thrilled to share that he and his team are collaborating with a company that values physical media, meaning fans like us will finally have the chance to own a tangible copy of the movie, replacing the stunning 2008 Blu-ray edition.

Besides mentioning that he had watched it for ten years, Smith also disclosed that he found a particular high-definition copy of the movie on YouTube. Apparently, someone took the Blu-ray version of Dogma and uploaded it as a 4K version online. Now, there will be a new version of the film available to watch, but no details were given about when this might happen.

2025-06-06 22:48