Kevin Smith Strikes Back With New Commercials

HASBRO GAMES BRINGS TALENTS OF DIRECTOR KEVIN SMITH TO TV COMMERCIALS FOR NEW STAR WARS BOARD GAMES

EAST LONGMEADOW, MA (May 22, 2002) – In his latest project, noted Actor/Director Kevin Smith takes the helm to direct television commercials for two of Hasbro, Inc.’s (NYSE:HAS) new Star Wars licensed board games. The commercials for STAR WARS: EPIC DUELS game and THE GAME OF LIFE: A JEDI’S PATH are on TV now.

Smith, an avid Star Wars fan, brings his creativity and humor to the spots, which highlight the exciting game play, as well as offer viewers a close-up look at the detailed playing pieces. In the STAR WARS: EPIC DUELS commercial, four boys joke and taunt one another as they battle to become the best Star Wars hero. While in the spot for THE GAME OF LIFE: A JEDI’S PATH, a boy’s imagination transforms a simple half-moon cookie into a battle of the “light side” versus the “dark side.”

“When I was growing up I watched Star Wars commercials, and now, years later, I’m thrilled to be the guy directing them,” said Smith. “It brings you full circle. It’s nice to go back to being a kid again, surrounded by all these games and toys, and being the guy that actually makes the commercial.”

“Kevin’s passion for all things Star Wars made him a great choice for directing these ads,” explains John Chandler, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Hasbro Games. “This really translated into a great ad campaign in which we were able to convey the enthusiasm for the Star Wars experience, the fun of playing games and Kevin’s talent as a director.”

Grey Worldwide, the advertising agency that created and produced the spots, worked with Hasbro to bring Smith in to direct them. Smith, best known for acclaimed films including Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Dogma, pays homage to the movie saga by incorporating Star Wars references and quotes into each of his films. A few examples include:

– Carrie Fisher (PRINCESS LEIA) appears in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

– Quoting YODA from The Empire Strikes Back, Silent Bob says, “Do or do not, there is no try.” (Chasing Amy)

– In Clerks, there is a reference made to construction workers rebuilding the DEATH STAR in Return of the Jedi.

About the Games

THE GAME OF LIFE: A JEDI’S PATH, is similar to the original GAME OF LIFE, where players must make choices about their destiny. As players move aspiring Jedi around the board (passing tests, doing battle, learning lessons, going on missions and building their light sabers), they build their connection to the Force in four ways – Logic, Intuition, Fighting and Energy. Along the way, players can choose the JEDI path or the riskier/quicker “Dark Path.” At the end of the game the mightiest JEDI and the darkest SITH square off to determine the most powerful Force-user in the Galaxy.

STAR WARS: EPIC DUELS is a game of creativity and “what-ifs,” and like the Star Wars movies, is filled with classic one-on-one duels. In this game, players can relive these movie moments* and even create never-before-seen battles. Players decide who is the greatest Star Wars warrior of all time. Is it ANAKIN or LUKE? Would LUKE SKYWALKER have beaten DARTH MAUL? Could YODA have taken on the EMPEROR in the second Death Star? The STAR WARS EPIC DUELS game allows Star Wars fans to pit almost any Star Wars character from any released episode against another Star Wars character. Game play takes place on one of four battle venues. Players take on the role of their character and duel their opponent. Over 30 painted figures. Each character comes with its own card deck and own strategy.

THE GAME OF LIFE: A JEDI’S PATH is suitable for players ages 9 and up, while STAR WARS: EPIC DUELS is created for players ages 8 and older. Both are available at retailers now for the approximate retail price of $19.99 each.

My own company, FilmThreat.com, was in need of its own champion for our first DVD release. The feature-length documentary Starwoids, about a bunch of Star Wars fans waiting in line for the Episode I premiere, already had a great sales angle — Star Wars. More than a few people have heard of that film. But how to sell a doc? Asking DVD consumers to watch an entertaining doc can be like asking a kid to eat vegetables. We had to get creative. We knew we needed someone to endorse the film and give it even more credibility. Someone who could elevate an already great doc and make it a must see. We settled on independent director Kevin Smith. He perfectly represents the Star Wars Generation to fans. Smith liked the film enough to record some voice-over narration and even provided a 10-minute interview about Star Wars’ influence on his films which became an extra on the DVD. Selling Starwoids with Kevin Smith’s endorsement became a lot easier. (And damn if I’m not grateful to him for it.) His affiliation gave us the credibility to get the film into retail chains and filmmaker Dennis Przywara will actually make more than twice his money back on his indie doc.

Now, most might think that a movie reviewer might make a good champion. And they often do. But more often, an endorsement from an unlikely source will provide a much better way to get attention. Just ask my pal Silent Bob.

Deception (aka Reindeer games) – Friday 7th June at 21:00 Sky MovieMax

Mallrats – Tuesday 28th May at 22:00 and Monday 3rd June at 00:30 on The Studio

Titan AE (Voiced by Matt Damon)
Starting: 18:00 on Friday 24th May. Showing on Sky Premier Widescreen.
Starting: 03:55 on Saturday 25th May. Showing on Sky Premier Widescreen.
Starting: 10:55 on Tuesday 28th May. Showing on Sky Premier 1.
Starting: 18:15 on Tuesday 28th May. Showing on Sky Premier 1.
Starting: 16:00 on Saturday 1st June. Showing on Sky Premier Widescreen.

The Talented Mr Ripley (Matt Damon)Starting: 00:45 on Tuesday 28th May. Showing on Sky Premier 4.
Starting: 03:05 on Sunday 2nd June. Showing on Sky Premier 1.

Oprah (Matt Damon Guest Appearance)Starting: 13:30 on Wednesday 29th May. Showing on Channel 5.

Big Daddy (Joey Lauren Adams)Starting: 21:30 on Saturday 25th May. Showing on Sky Premier 1.
Starting: 22:40 on Friday 31st May. Showing on Sky Premier 3.
Starting: 20:00 on Wednesday 5th June. Showing on Sky Premier 4.

Mumford (Jason Lee)
Starting: 02:00 on Sunday 2nd June. Showing on Sky Premier Widescreen.

Guests include:

JOE QUESADA Marvelous Pizza Boy, Daredevil Artist, Marvel EIC

DUNCAN FEGREDO artist on Chasing Dogma Mini series

JIM VALENTINO Publisher Image Comics

JAMIE RICH AND JOE NOZEMACK Editors of Oni Press

ADAM HUGHES artist on Gwen 13 for Mallrats starting titles

Movie House: J.Lo In Talks To Star With Ben Affleck In Kevin Smith Film

Jennifer Lopez continues to plow forward with her booming film career. The pop diva is said to be in talks to star alongside Ben Affleck in writer/director Kevin Smith’s “Jersey Girl.”

A publicist for Lopez confirmed that the “Enough” star is definitely in negotiations for the film, which has long had Affleck attached. If she does in fact end up in the movie, “Jersey Girl” will be J. Lo’s second pairing with the “Changing Lanes” actor.

The two highly prolific stars’ first onscreen match-up, “Gigli,” just finished shooting a couple of months ago. Directed by Martin Brest (”Beverly Hills Cop”), “Gigli” is a dramatic comedy with Affleck in the title role as a hit man who involves Lopez in a kidnapping, believing her, perhaps mistakenly, to be in the same line of work as himself.

“Jersey Girl” is about a man whose life is turned upside down by a woman and her 6-year-old daughter. It will be the first movie from Kevin Smith set outside of the “View Askew Universe” established with 1994 indie cult hit “Clerks” and further expounded upon by “Mallrats,” “Chasing Amy,” “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” — often (however erroneously) referred to as the “New Jersey Trilogy.”

Though the movie will take place outside of his previous films’ continuity, many Smith alumni are expected to appear, including George Carlin and possibly Jason “Jay” Mewes. “Jersey Girl” is thought to be at least loosely based on Smith’s own experiences as father of Harley Quinn Smith, who briefly appeared in 2001’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” and is named after a “Batman”-related character.

Smith — a huge comic book fan — has scripted comics starring Green Arrow, whose alter ego is named Ollie, which also happens to be the name of Ben Affleck’s character in “Jersey Girl.” The pop culture relationship between Smith and Affleck is as densely convoluted as any long-running comic book’s plot line.

Affleck has appeared in several of Smith’s films: as predatory Shannon in “Mallrats,” soul-searching Holden in “Chasing Amy,” conflicted angel Bartleby in “Dogma” — even as himself in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” Smith, along with his View Askew production company associate, Scott Mosier (who is producing “Jersey Girl”), co-executive produced Affleck’s “Good Will Hunting,” which earned the actor an Oscar nod for screenwriting.

In 1998, Smith wrote several issues of Marvel’s “Daredevil” comic series, later collected into a trade paperback with an introduction penned by longtime Daredevil fan Ben Affleck. During a scene in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” bumbling Bob (played by Smith) runs past a costumed Daredevil fighting ninjas on a studio lot. And now, of course, Affleck is playing Daredevil in a real-life movie, for which Smith recently shot a cameo.

In addition to “Jersey Girl,” Kevin Smith has acquired the rights to develop the series of “Fletch” novels used as source material for two Chevy Chase movies in the ’80s. Ben Affleck was at one time rumored to star, though Jason Lee, himself a player in four prior Smith films, has since been attached.

Nevertheless, Affleck has plenty else to keep him occupied. “Changing Lanes” is still in theaters, “The Sum of All Fears” is due soon, “Gigli” just wrapped and “Daredevil” is still moving along. When that’s finished, there’s “Jersey Girl” to do and a picture called “Surviving Christmas” with his name on it.

Jennifer Lopez is no stranger to an overflowing date book herself, with “The Chambermaid” now shooting in New York and her very own “Carmen” remake in development (see “Movie House: J. Lo Making Modern Version Of ‘Carmen’ “). You can see more of both J. Lo and Ben Affleck in upcoming episodes of MTV Movie House. Check the schedule for air times.

SPIDER-MAN/BLACK CAT: THE EVIL THAT MEN DO #1

Cover by Terry & Rachel Dodson

Kevin Smith/Terry Dodson/Rachel Dodson

THE SCOOP: Movie and comics king Kevin Smith takes the reins of comics’ hottest character — Spider-Man — in an all-new four-part story that will send the wall-crawler on a collision course with his old flame, the Black Cat!

THE STORY: The mysterious disappearance of an old friend brings Felicia Hardy to the Big Apple in search of answers. But, as luck would have it, a certain web-slinger — who also happens to be her ex-lover — is following the same trail! How long will it take before they do some… catching up?

THE CREATORS: You know he’s a famous moviemaker and comics writer, but wait until you see Kevin Smith cut loose on the one-and-only Spider-Man! And is there a more perfect artist to draw the shapely Black Cat than Terry Dodson (Harley Quinn)?

THE FORMAT: The first issue of this four-part series is 32 pages, with ads.

Printed on glossy paper with a cardstock cover.

1. WEAK SCRIPT — Here is where more indie films fail than in any other area. Hey, if the running time is around 70 minutes, the feature script was probably thin to begin with. But one has to only look at Kevin Smith’s Clerks to learn why the script is the most important element. Clerks is perhaps the most technically inept film ever to get a theatrical release. Almost any decent student film looks better than Clerks. But today’s audiences are not as concerned with the technical quality of a film. Content is king for indies and this is where Clerks succeeds brilliantly. We don’t care about the gritty look (actually that look contributes overall to the mood), the characters engage us, and the story is well paced and we laugh our asses off at the snappy dialog. Smith’s amazing script rose above the limitations under which he made the film resulting in what is now an indie classic that can be seen on IFC almost weekly. They say that paper is cheaper than film, so buy some paper.

Affleck, Lopez meeting again in Smith’s ‘Jersey’

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) — After working together on Revolution Studios’ upcoming Martin Brest-directed feature “Gigli,” Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are negotiating to reteam on Miramax Films’ “Jersey Girl” for filmmaker Kevin Smith. Production is slated to begin in late summer or early fall on the East Coast.

Smith wrote the project, which is about man named Ollie Trinke (Affleck) and the effects a new wife (Lopez) and 6-year-old daughter have on his seemingly already full life. George Carlin, who appeared in Smith’s “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” is negotiating to play Affleck’s father.

Scott Mosier of Smith’s View Askew Prods. is producing.

Affleck, repped by Endeavor, is onscreen in “Changing Lanes” and next stars in “The Sum of All Fears.” The actor is in production on Regency Enterprises’ “Daredevil.” Affleck, who first worked with Smith in 1995’s “Mallrats,” went on to star in the director’s “Chasing Amy,” “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” He remains attached to Columbia Pictures’ “Surviving Christmas.”

Lopez, repped by ICM and Handprint Entertainment, next stars onscreen in Columbia Pictures’ “Enough.” “Jersey” would be her first project for Miramax.