Jackass, the stunt entertainment franchise made popular in the early ’00s as a TV show, is back for another round of shenanigans with a fourth movie installment. The slapstick comedy series first took off in October 2000 with three seasons airing on MTV before branching out into a slew of feature films, continuing the theme of pulling off hilarious (and dangerous!) pranks to the shock and awe of the public.
Although fans eagerly await Jackass 4 and all it has to offer, the production has been afflicted with a few setbacks due to COVID-19 and casting issues. The delays and dramas have caused Jackass fiends to wonder what’s happening, so HollywoodLife is here to breakdown all the details and give the latest updates on the production.
Where ‘Jackass 3’ Left Off
After the TV show ended in February 2002, the cast took to the big screen to continue to carry out some crazy stunts and keep the Jackass spirit alive. When Jackass: The Movie came out in 2002, it was meant to be a farewell to fans, but the franchise continued with two more films, Jackass Number Two (2006) and Jackass 3D, released in 2010. The third installment in the series showed the guys up to their usual tricks, ending with a retrospective as the credits rolled with familiar scenes from the original show.
What’s In Store For ‘Jackass 4’
Like the previous three films, Jackass Forever will take on similar stunts and outrageous antics, bringing back the motely crew of merry pranksters who first made the series a hit for the Y2K crowd. Although head impresario Johnny Knoxville, 50, and familiar faces like Steve-O, 47 and Chris Pontius are a little older and a bit more gray this time around, they’re still powering through some amusing stunts sure to please an audience.
Although the movie garnered much hype since being greenlit, the production has been plagued by, well, the plague, with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing back the release date numerous times. The Jackass crew began shooting in December 2020 and Paramount initially confirmed the movie’s release date to be March 5, 2021. The production company then moved back the date four more times, finally landing on February 4, 2022 for the premiere.
Even with the pushbacks, fans were able to get a glimpse of what’s to come with the full Jackass Forever trailer released in July 2021, previewing all the death-defying stunts the guys took on and highlighting a few special new cast members.
The’Jackass 4′ Cast & Crew
So who is returning for the fourth movie and what newbies are being added to the mix? In addition to Johnny and Steve-O, familiar faces like Chris Pontius, Preston Lacey, and Jason “Wee Man” Acuña are making a comeback while stars like Machine Gun Kelly and professional skateboarder Tony Hawk will make their Jackass debut.
Although the forthcoming flick will feature some new big names, fans might be a little disheartened to see some major players missing from the marquee. The fourth movie marks the first time the rowdy crew comes back together since Ryan Dunn‘s tragic death in 2011 and it also marks the first filming of a Jackass property without Bam Margera. According to TMZ, the skateboarder-turned-stuntman allegedly breached his contract for the production when he failed to stay sober and commit to regular therapy and routine drug tests. After being officially fired due to his actions, Bam announced on a series of now-deleted Instagram videos that he was in a poor emotional state and ended up suing Paramount, MTV, Johnny, director Jeremy Tremaine, and producer Spike Jonze, according to Variety.
Speaking with GQ in May, Johnny noted how he wanted Bam to “be happy and healthy” and for him to “get the help he needs,” detailing how the crew “tried to push that along.” The stuntman and co-creator of the franchise then said how he didn’t want to get into the matter further, stating how he just “[wanted] him to get better.”