- We received a ton of mail on this one, and as many folks are certainly concerned about how Mewes is doing lately we wanted to keep you all informed. The producers of documentary “Rock Bottom”, which we announced Jay’s involvement with months ago, are suing him, as it appears that he no longer wishes to allow them to film his life. The New York Post has the story:
July 1, 2003 — ONE of TV’s most promising train- wreck shows looks like it has been derailed before it could leave the station. Actor Jason Mewes is trying to kill a much-publicized documentary – originally set for HBO – chronicling his heroin addiction and rehab.
Mewes agreed to let the HBO filmmakers tape everything related to his addiction – including him shooting up.
Now Craig Veytia, who’s producing “Rock Bottom,” is suing Mewes for pulling out, according to Court TV’s thesmokinggun.com.
And HBO has decided to pass on the project, a network spokeswoman told The Post yesterday.
Mewes, 28, inked a deal with Veytia in mid-March for “Rock Bottom,” which would chronicle Mewes’ heroin addiction and his struggle to get clean. He is currently in rehab.
Veytia’s suit, filed June 20, claims Mewes has tried “to hinder and/or prevent” the documentary.
Martin Arbus, an attorney who’s representing Mewes, said “it’s a possibility” that his client will try to put the kibosh on the documentary once he’s out of rehab.
“Jason has not seen what is on this film . . . and until he sees what they’ve done, no final decision will be made,” he said.
“I’ve requested that any discussion or resolution of this issue await Jason’s release from the facility he’s in so he can better deal with this issue.
“Obviously, they’ve chosen not to wait, which is unfortunate,” said Arbus.
HBO’s decision to drop the film seems to have played a big role in the dispute.
“This was held out to [Mewes] to be an HBO documentary, when in fact [Veytia] doesn’t have approval from HBO to do it,” said Arbus.
Veytia’s attorney did not return a call seeking comment.
Mewes, 28, shot to fame as the fast-talking, pot-smoking drug dealer featured in buddy Kevin Smith’s movies “Clerks,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” “Mallrats,” Chasing Amy” and “Dogma.”
He pleaded guilty last April to six counts of violating his probation for a 1999 heroin conviction.
At the time, Smith told The Post that he thought the idea of cameras documenting Mewes’ struggle to get clean and sober was “exploitative.”
Two weeks ago, Mewes transferred from one drug treatment facility in New Jersey to another – saying members of the first center were treating him “adversely” because of his celebrity status.
We’ve certainly got no legal qualifications here, but we gotta say that his attempts to remove himself from the project are certainly understandable and, in our opinion, the right choice. However, it’s up for a judge to decide this one, though we hope that it falls in Mewes’ favor. With all the guy’s been through over the past couple of years, we’re just hoping that he gets his life straightened out, and back on track. Best of luck to you, Jay.
