LINCOLN, Neb. — Since the release of “Clerks” in 1993, Kevin Smith has been one of the preeminent directors in the world of comedy.
In addition to writing, directing and appearing in films like “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” he has also produced Academy Award-winning films, appeared in blockbuster films such as “Live Free or Die Hard” and contributed to his love of comic books by writing for some of the biggest titles in the comic industry.
However, he is now venturing again into the world of television, directing the pilot of the new television show “Reaper.”
“The concept for the show is really cool and reminiscent of things in the world of comics that really appealed to me,” Smith said. “I thought it was really unique that a genre series like this was created by two women, which is really strange for genre shows.
“Plus, I found out that if you direct the pilot for a series, you get royalties for every show that is made! I couldn’t believe it.”
Smith said he also felt the draw of directing something that he hadn’t written.
“The thought of me directing something I didn’t write is absurd because I think most people realize by now I am not a very good director,” he said. “But I figured, heck, there is a pretty decent shot that this show will never even air.”
This is one of two television projects that Smith is working on, in addition to “Heroes: Origins,” a spin-off miniseries of the hit NBC show “Heroes.”
“I really got into that project because of [executive producer] Jeph Loeb, who I knew through the comic world,” Smith said. “He asked if I was interested, and I jumped at the opportunity because it would be a lot of fun.”
Smith also talked about a rumor that he was directing an episode of the Sci-fi Channel’s “Battlestar: Galactica.” “We just never got to work that out, which is a shame, because that is one damn good show,” he said.
He hasn’t left behind the world of film, however. Smith is currently working on two films, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” and “Red State.”
“[’Zack and Miri’] is in the same vein of my previous films, but with no connection to the View Askew universe,” he said, referring to his production company. The film, as the title suggests, is about two people who decide to make a pornographic film, even though they have no knowledge of the porn industry.
While “Zack and Miri” is a comedy, “‘Red State’ is really a different direction with me and is nothing like I have ever done before,” Smith said, adding self-deprecatingly, “You’ll probably think a good director did this.”
In spite of his new projects, however, Smith said the world of independent film is changing, and not for the better.
“‘Clerks’ would have never succeeded today,” he said. “It is just a different world in indie films, and I am part of the blame due to the success that I had with ‘Clerks.’
“It is just kind of an attitude in independent film that I don’t really like.”