Saban Films has acquired the North American rights to the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. The film will feature the return of Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes as the iconic title characters. Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Reboot will be the first live action production starring the comedy duo since the 2001 release of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

The film will begin production in the wake of Smith’s massive “widowmaker” heart attack at the start of last year. Smith has been extremely vocal about his health since the scare. Smith commented on the attack saying, “Last February, I almost died. So on the one year anniversary of my widowmaker heart attack, as a celebration of life and a big ol’ F you to Death, my best friend and I will be rolling cameras on a sequel/remake/reboot of a movie we first made nearly twenty years ago!” Smith goes on, “I offer my literal undying thanks to our amazing partners at Saban and Universal for making this dream come true and backing this cinematic silliness!”

The Jay and Silent Bob Reboot follows the characters’ return to Los Angeles to once again stop Hollywood from making a film (reboot) about them. The comedy is sure to feature jabs at the endless reboots, sequels, and ‘requals’ that dominate the modern box office.

Jay and Silent Bob have made appearances in Smith films since the filmmaker’s debut. The comedy duo can be seen in Smith’s: Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II and Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie. From selling drugs in front of a convenience store, to an exploration of humankind’s relationship with God – the Jay and Silent Bob characters have matured as an instrumental part of Smith’s cinematic cannon and idiosyncratic style. Here’s to getting one step closer to seeing the stoner duo back on the big scene again.

This news was first reported by the Deadline Sundance team.