• “The Wrap” spills the beans on the actors and actresses joining the great Michael Parks in front of the cameras when Kevin starts filming “Red State” this Fall.
  

  Kyle Gallner, Michael Angarano and Steven Root are in talks to co-star in Kevin Smith’s political horror film “Red State,” and Oscar nominated actress Melissa Leo is also circling the project, an individual familiar with the casting process has told TheWrap.

  Dermot Mulroney was previously also listed among the cast, but The Wrap and Kevin have refuted that, at least for now. Root previously worked for Kevin in a small role in “Jersey Girl” – Some scoopers noted Kevin speaking with Root at Comic Con recently, as well.

• Please take note: The October 16th House of Blues appearance that was annouced was not legit — Kevin will be working on “Red State” at the time. If anything changes we’ll let you know, but according to his twitter, you should not buy tix for this gig.
• As always, /Film has done a fantastic job at collecting video from Kevin’s San Diego panel this year. Surf it up and view all the parts right here.
• How ’bout some more new video? Big Shiny Robot also caught up with Kev at the Con summarized the invitation-only live SModcast and posted the press interview which followed. All are now available for your streaming pleasure.
• IFC reports that Kevin will moderate a 25th anniversary screening of John Hughes’ classic “The Breakfast Club” on Monday, September 20th, followed by a cast Q&A with the flick’s 4 stars. Sounds like a must-attend event at New York City’s Paris Theater to us. For the main events, tickets range from $25 – $65. There’s also a single screening of the film alone the day before at the Walter Reade Theater. Hit up www.filmlinc.com for pricing and tickets. The official View Askew site also has done a nice job http://viewaskew.com/events/thebreakfastkev/ at consolidating this info for ya.

Gonna give this a try, but forgive any technical issues. Hope this is at least readable..

Nice crowd upstairs at the Dublin House pre-party tonight, and I’m getting ready to head down to the theater. Props to Ming who just dropped off my ticket, he’s a busy guy today.

7:03 – Back rows getting free upgrades! Epic guy on stage talking about it being a new network we can download off the Internet. Coaching audience to get us all excited. First audience warmup I’ve ever seen at a Smith show.

I’m closer now…it’s Zak! And he’s killing! Crowd is highly entertained as he fills in a couple empty chairs and telling jokes and rules. The guy’s quite the entertainer! Good on ya Zak.

7:15 – Kevin is on stage! Wait until you see the Quick Stop and RST set. It’s awesome. Kevin stood at Silent Bob’s old spot at RST when he walked out.

7:30 – kevin is talking about his trip up to Brantford which was the inspiration for his tour bus.

7:45 – Q&A has started! Kevin’s opening story about the prom bus to Canada was full of Malcolm impressions and an instant classic.

The first question is all about working with Bruce Willis.

8:00 – He’s tangented off to a funny story about starting to smoke weed and ordering from a convenience store that delivers.

8:30 – Check newsaskew on twitter for a photo. Kevin’s run with the Willis question to talk about hockey, Zack and Miri, and his life leading up to Cop Out. Assume he’ll get back to the Bruce question soon!

8:45 – Jokes at Affleck’s expense so far – 3!

Kevin did get back to the Willis question with lots of good stuff. By the way no details tonight, since the show is being taped. Don’t wanna spoil jokes.

9:30 – He’s been telling some stories about George Carlin.

9:40 – The Southwest Air incident!

10:00 – Crowd is going nuts for the toilet bowl incident, Always a classic.

Fresh story now happening on a border stop on the way to Montreal.

10:30 – The Michael Parks casting in Red State has a story!

Kevin did 3:15 on one question, wrapped up, and is now back for an encore for rapid fire questions to close the night – another first!

• indieWire presents a lengthy, fresh new interview with the man himself, courtesy Eugene Hernandez. It’s an excellent conversation about Kevin’s career and his thoughts on independent film, past and present. A highly recommended read for you, though here’s just a small segment:

  Eugene Hernandez: Its funny, you’ve been the poster boy for American indie film, through its high point and low points. I think that may explain some of the critics.

  Kevin Smith: “I mean, lets be honest, the only indie film I made was “Clerks.”

  Everything else somebody paid for. In fact, everything else a studio paid for, with the exception of “Zack and Miri” which was the Weinstein Company. Every interview I do I’d be like, ‘You keep saying indie filmmaker, its just not…’

  Say cult. Say something. But, you know, it’s not something where you try to run from it. I don’t mind, but it just sets you up for people to be disappointed. Like, ‘I thought you were an indie filmmaker? That’s supposed to mean something.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I mean, I made ‘Mallrats’ too, I told you by the second film it was going to be a bumpy ride.’

  I’m just glad it’s still a ride.

  Eugene, ’94 it started. Now I’m 16 years in and it’s a cool job where you’re allowed to express yourself and that’s kinda of why I got into it in the first place. But, by virtue of the fact that the job has opened so many other doors it’s also opened so many other venues for me to express myself. So, like to me, the movies are great, but like SModcast is some of the most sincerely creative original, now I’m at this place in my career where I’m like, ‘Those movies suck dude, listen to SModcast, that shit’s the bomb’.

  So for me, I’m just extending ways to have the conversation in case one day somebody’s like, ‘We’re not going to let you make movies anymore, you’re not good at it and obviously you don’t care about it’ or something like that. And I’ll be like ‘All right, I’ll have the conversation over here’, but for as long as they’ll let me do I’ll do it, I enjoy doing it.”

  This is one of our favorite interviews of the year so far — Don’t miss it.

• “Batman: Widening Gyre” issue #6 hit shelves this week and is the absolute talk of the industry. A major twist occurs in the last 4 pages of the book which has readers counting the days until the series returns with the back 6 issues early next year. We highly recommend NOT spoiling the reveal, and instead checking out the entire series from the start. We’ll say no more here, other than congratulate Kevin and Walt for keeping their plan secret during the book’s run — This one is rewarding even more to long time fans of Kevin’s work in the comic industry. We love it. This sets things up for an incredible finish.

  Kevin and Walt hosted a panel in San Diego last week about this fantastic series, which Comic Book Resources has a nice summary of. Here’s a sample:

  …A fan asked when the start of the next miniseries was expected. “Volume two begins after the new year,” Smith said. Smith wanted to give himself enough time to write as he’d be shooting a film soon.

  Another fan asked if the Joker will be featured more in the second volume. “I felt like since ‘Cacophony’ was such a Joker heavy book for us, I wanted to use him very sparingly in the first six issues. But he features a little more prominently in the next arc.”

  “I still hear Mark Hamill when I write my Joker,” Smith added. “When I was reading comments online, people said that, ‘This Joker reads like the fucking ’90s Joker.’ I felt really complimented by it.” The writer added that while he likes Heath Ledger’s version from the film, his Joker remains the version from the cartoon series by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm.

  Smith also said that he finds writing the Joker easy. “What’s the most fucked up thing I can write? Okay. Write that,” he said. “For me, I’m way more interested in writing Bruce Wayne and Batman than the Joker.”

  The hardcover compilation of issues #1 – #6 isn’t due until Christmas…So we’d recommend seeking out issues 1-6 right now and catching up. An already cool series became legend with the issue 6 cliffhanger. Catch up now!

• Now that he’s got the world’s first live podcasting theater in operation, SModcastle (see a quick Kevin-shot bootleg clip from last Sunday’s opening), Kevin has said that the road shows titled “Live Nude SMod” will be no more. Ffor the immediate future, the ONLY spot you’ll see the live podcasts will be at the Los Angeles-based castle – A fall tour titled “SModcast 3D” is planned for the October/November timeframe.

  So, that means YOU Columbus, Ohio, will get the last live road SModcast for some time tomorrow, July 31st. Kevin then comes home to Red Bank on Monday, August 2nd, for his 40th birthday Q&A. Hope to see a lot of you there – We’ll be onsite for the big Red Bank event. Then, Kevin’s on to Australia for a historic 2 night stand at the Sydney Opera House.

  What about the old standard, online SModcast? Kevin promises standard, brand new episodes for a few weeks until “Red State” is shooting. Once he’s busy on the set, the backlogged episodes recorded at the live gigs will start to fill in the weekly slot, to allow Kevin time to film and edit. ‘Til then, www.smodcast.com is the place to be. Lots going on over there, including the announcement that the great Jason Mewes will become a regular member of new show “Highlinds: A Peephole History”.

  New announcements are coming at the new SModcast 3D website, which at minimum promises live SMod at the Castle. Could there be more road shows in the future? Never say never.

  Stay tuned for more news on upcoming episodes, and round 2 at SModcastle!

• While we were trying to keep up with all the big news dropping due to the Con, Kevin’s been busy tweeting up a storm lately. Let’s take a look at some of the more noteworthy tweets from recent days. He’s back to record pace lately, like it was when he first hit Twitter, so we highly recommend you run a follow to @ThatKevinSmith to read them all – We’re just scratching the surface on the most newsworthy, but there’s so much more. Here’s a peek:

  Via @thecolecash “How is “Red State” coming along?” Dave & I storyboarded for a few hours today. Found this amazing actress for Cheyenne…

  Via @filmthreat “Where’s RedState being filmed?” California, sir. Up Whittier way. 80% of it shoots behind maximum security walls. #srsly

  Via @sonic43 “Did you decide if RedState was shooting digital or film” Last I heard from @ThatDavidKlein, RED will be shot on a @RedCamera.

  Via @Billy3152 “spot for hockey guys Leary or Sandler in Hit Somebody?” Massive cast, but I’m looking to surround Seann w/ CANADIAN actors.

  Via @njosnavelin714 “You really believe HitSomebody’ll be the best film you ever make” 100 pages in, before we shoot a frame, it already is.

  Via @StephanieClark_ “when do you start shooting for Hit Somebody?” Hopefully mid-2011. So let’s stop talking about it. Getting blue balls.

  Via @SansomJam “Hit Somebody a comedy or something akin to The Wrestler?” It’s funny, but I don’t know if I’d call it a comedy. s’like GUMP.

  Via @cmatthes1 “MCM mode of #CopOut gives me hope for the new BluRay extras” It’s pretty entertaining. Watched opening w/crowd & it crushed.

  Via @bigstunz “Walt killed it in latest Smodcast” He CRUSHED PrimaNocta TELL’EM LIVE. Ask @BryAndWalt to put that 1 up on Friday. Pure gold.

  Me & @SMosier sang FAMILY TIES & this dude mixed it into TIE’s opening credits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5LIs5W5JpM&feature=related

  Via @MasterBruceSHH “Just read Gyre #6. Best ish so far. kudos for the last twist” Walt & I have been waiting a year for that splash page…

  Via @denmark116 “How long do we wait for volume 2?” GYRE Vol. 2 starts up after the first of the year. And it’s a MUCH more familiar Bats…

  Via @pcraig20 “how long the Green Hornet run is going to be” 10 issues. Then, I start begging @jimlee00 to do HORNET/BATMAN crossover mini.

  Via @jace1013 “looks like #CopOut did well: http://bit.ly/9R3DyO #1 on every list” Congrats to the Movie Formerly Known As A Couple of Dicks

  Via @lunchboxfett “When can we hear SModcastle opening night?” Not for awhile. Lots of banked shows to get up first: Philly, Billings, SF…

  Via @dimmke “Can you stop making movies & just do #SModcast every day” Working on it, sir. Once we’re done with HIT SOMEBODY, s’possible…

  @omfgitzjay “Will WYSMC be on SModcast Network?” No: to be a part of SModcast.com you’ve gotta know me REALLY well. Wanna know why? SModcast.com isn’t just weekly podcasts by me & my friends; it’s actually a more ambitious, ongoing project: SMod’s my autobiography.

  This is my 10,000th Tweet. I’m using it to thank all y’all for following. You’ve given me enough juice to jump start the Act 2. Many thanks.

  Our particular favorite Twitter highlight from the last week is a run that Kevin did on historical photos and posts back on July 20 and 21. If you didn’t see it, go back and seek out this stream. Tons of great photos and links in there.

• We totally missed the best part of that “bear in car” news story the other day – This screenshot from the broadcast that reports that the news person at this station is a BIG View Askew fan — Sir or ma’am, if you did this, step forward. Bravo! Love it.
• Do Zack & Miri deserve some credit for this one? Geekscape announces that porn company Vivid Video will release an XXX version of Star Wars, in 3D no less. Yes, folks, 3D porn is here. Pre-production has begun for a September 2011 release.

• Nothing new here, more of a re-hash of stuff we previously reported, but it’s nice to see that the Detroit Free Press has picked up on “Hit Somebody” , citing Kevin’s intent to film in that city. Here’s a couple quotes from Kevin from the article:

  “I’m right now on Page 81 of the script. It’s big. I mean big in terms of long; it spans a life. We go from 1950 to 1980, and Seann William Scott is going to be my guy, the guy that plays the lead. It’s based on the song that Warren Zevon recorded that Mitch Albom wrote the lyrics to. (The song is on “My Ride’s Here,” Zevon’s 2002 album.) …

  We’re shooting in Detroit, too. I reached Warren’s estate about the song, and they said, “You’ve got to talk to Mitch Albom because Mitch Albom controls that song.” I said, ” ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ Mitch Albom?” So I got in touch with Mitch first by e-mail, and then he came to New York while I was there shooting “Cop Out.”

  So he came and we hung out for about two hours, went downstairs and ate at the Ritz-Carlton down in Battery Park. At the end of it, he goes: “I gotta tell you, man, I felt like it was important to be face to face with you if I was gonna hand over the song. It’s a big deal.” He was like: “I don’t know how else to explain it, and I know there’s business deals and stuff later on. But I just feel like I wanted to see your face and to hear you talk about it.”

  …

  “…A lot of (the film) is going to take place in the ’70s. Detroit looks like it stopped in the ’70s, so we literally don’t have to set-decorate or set-design. We just turn on the camera and there’s an old building. It’s a great place and hopefully we’ll do it justice.

  It’s almost like, for me, the closest parallel to it is “Forrest Gump” and not in terms of we’re gonna have all these amazing special effects in it. It’s just you follow one very simple person in a life that just touches everything throughout history and the sport, so it’s kinda like that. It’s ambitious, we’re not gonna be as good as “Forrest Gump,” but it’s ambitious.

  It’s funny, but it’s not the comedy that I do. Like right now, honestly it’s still PG-13, there’s no cursing in it.”

  “Hit Somebody” is planned to shoot following the completion of “Red State”, which goes in front of cameras in August.

• The San Diego Comic Con always brings the opportunity for folks to chat with Kevin, and he remains accessible every year. This year, with “Cop Out” to promote, live SModcasts and the world’s first podcasting theater, “Red State”, new comics, and a lot more on the bubble, was no exception.

  Here’s a look at a few more Kevin sightings from last weekend as we wrap-up our San Diego coverage for the year:

  • From IFC News: Film critic Alonso Duralde chats with Kevin Smith, the (contested) king of nerd prom, also known as San Diego Comic-Con. Smith, who’s been coming to Comic-Con ever since he test-screened “Mallrats” there in 1995, talks about what’s changed at the convention and what hasn’t, Stan Lee, getting to talk to the audience and why he’d make a lousy cosplay Silent Bob.
  • Bleeding Cool caught a CNN video that featured Kevin in a few quick snippets throughout.
  • Finally, enjoy a bunch of pics above from Kevin’s panel, including Mewes, and a couple who used their mic time to get engaged instead of ask Kev a question. Thanks to photographer Jeff Zimmerman for the bunch.

  More con wrapup as we’ve got it — If anyone’s got any stories, photos, or tales from the con with a View Askew slant, send ’em on.