Posted by Darth Dobbin at 234.11.pool.outpost.com on February 08, 2000 at 18:35:10:
In Reply to: A real do-nothing Saturday posted by Repost for Kevin on February 08, 2000 at 17:48:04:
The summation of my thoughts on the subject are
1) A direct sequel is probably not the best course of action; In the same way that “Silence of the Lambs” was a “sequel” to “Manhunter,” so too could a movie you make be an “indirect sequel. Thus none of the baggage attached to the “failure,”(in the press, that is) and those in the know would know the score. Which is to say the fanboys and girls on this board would understand that it is the “sequel,” without a “part 2” in the name.
2) Familiarity breeds contempt like a bastard, and reading the malformed thoughts of cretins like myself day in and day out on this here board may make you sick of your “Askewniverse,” but don’t stop milking the cow until her teats are withered and dry. There’s a niche you’ve carved out quite well, and a reason why you have achieved success with your fans. You fill a void; nobody else besides you makes smart, funny, insightful dick and fart joke movies with loving comic book references. Nobody besides you keeps up a loosely connected universe. Your audience can only continue to grow- there are more people who DON’T know about you & your flicks than there are who do. And Jay & Silent Bob are fan faves, and could still bring in NEW fans. Don’t kill ‘em before their time, at the moment when success, REAL success, is right around the corner. I understand that you don’t want to be like the sad Griswolds in Vacation:XXIV, but you & Jay have a LARGE way to go before you reach the point of overexposure.
3) You could do other projects without “retiring” the niche you’ve created. If they had done Superman, that would have been a non-askew thing, without a Crisis on Infinite Red Banks. Produce other things, write for other directors, make other flicks… just don’t close the book on what gave you the opportunity to do all that crap. Always leave the fans with the hope that your next project will be in the “Askewniverse.”
I hit a bunch of other points in my original post, and argued them at length. If you have some vague combination of the time and inclination to do so, you can read my unabridged letter to you at the link below.
Thanks for putting this up for discussion. You’ve already earned the title of “cool guy” in my book, which means a guaranteed $16 from my wife and me everytime you make a movie, Askewniverse or no. Until they raise the price to $8.50. Then you'll be getting $17.
(ps. Congratulations on the title, DOCTOR Smith.)