Coming off the lackluster opening weekend for his amusement park comedy Action Point, Johnny Knoxville has expressed interest in returning to the Jackass franchise for a fourth installment. Though there aren’t any official plans to put the movie into production, he explained that it could still happen.
In 2000, Knoxville hosted the MTV series Jackass, which featured a crew of comedic stuntmen who indulge in ill-conceived, but humorous, stunts. With Knoxville in the lead, the rest of the team was comprised of Steve-O, Bam Margera, Jason Acuña, Chris Pontius (who stars alongside Knoxville in Action Point), Preston Lacy, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, and the late Ryan Dunn. The show sparked a number of spinoffs, including Viva la Bam and Wildboyz (both of which included painful stunts and juvenile humor), as well as a feature-length series of the same name, including Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, and Jackass 3D. Now, eight years after the release of Jackass 3D in 2010, Knoxville has revealed that a fourth installment may well be in the works.
Speaking with EW, Knoxville explained that a fourth Jackass movie is definitely possible. He explained that even though there haven’t been any concrete plans to revisit the franchise, he still jots down new stunt concepts any time inspiration rings. He said, “I still write ideas down, just in case I get that twitch again,” adding that there are even some leftover stunts from the previous movie that could easily be rolled over into a fourth movie. Knoxville did, however, add one caveat into the mix, assuming a fourth Jackass movie were made, and that’s the inclusion of “fresh blood.” He said, ““It’s not like we’re saying no. If we did do a new one, we’d have to bring in some new younger guys— just to bring some fresh blood into it. But it’s possible.”
Occasional flairs of inspiration aside, Knoxville also explained that the major hurdle in which a fourth Jackass movie would have to jump is whether or not his friends and family would be quite as supportive as they were during the initial run of the show. Aside from the recent loss of his mother making him reevaluate certain life choices, he explained some of his “friends and family members are over that part of it,” which he understands. That said, Knoxville finds it difficult to walk away from the dangerous stunts that made him a household name. Having been associated with it for nearly 20 years, he explained that “it’s kind of tough to stop.” If Jackass 4 were to ever happen, Knoxville stated that he would be committed to the project, but explained, “I may need to give my family a break for a second.”
Even with the critical and box office failure of Action Point, a return to the world of Jackass might actually be the best course of action for Knoxville. Nostalgia has proven to work wonders in the world of film and television (whether it’s a return to older franchises like Halloween (2018) or a nod to past eras like Stranger Things), so embracing the glory days with Jackass 4 could turn out to be the saving grace that Knoxville needed all along.
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Source: EW
