Kevin Smith Opens up on 'Dogma' Film Controversy, Calls Producer 'The Devil Himself'
Filmmaker Kevin Smith reveals the real reason "Dogma" is yet to stream on online platforms and acknowledges disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein.
"Dogma" is a fantasy comedy film released in 1999. Written and directed by Kevin Smith, the film stars Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, George Carlin, Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Alanis Morissette, and more.
In a recent interview with The Wrap, director Kevin Smith reveals that "Dogma" is not yet digitally available to stream, with out-of-print Blu-ray copies selling for $100 on the secondary market. The 52 year old "Clerks" director further explained how the film was being "held hostage" by Miramax founder Harvey Weinstein.
"In order to tell the story, unfortunately, I'm gonna have to say the name that nobody wants to hear anymore. But of course, Harvey Weinstein figures into the story," Smith explained. "I mean, honestly, not even a thought. I don't think he realized that he still owned that movie. I don't think he realized that it went out of public distribution or anything like that."
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Harvey Weinstein Publicly Disgraced
Miramax founder Harvey Weinstein was exposed in May 2018 as a convicted sex offender. Following the court ruling him guilty of criminal sexual assault and rape in the third degree, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in jail.
When Kevin Smith found out that Weinstein attempted to sell the rights for "Dogma" at $5 million, the director and his lawyers tried to buy it back, to which they proved unsuccessful before the Miramax founder was sentenced to jail.
"We felt very dirty about [it] because we didn't want to give him money," Smith said. "He's holding it hostage. My movie about angels is owned by the devil himself. And if there's only one way out of this, maybe we could buy it away."
As of now, Smith expressed that he is still trying to buy the rights for "Dogma" from the company owned by Weinstein.
More 'Dogma' Controversy
Due to the film's irreverent treatment of Catholicism, the Catholic church has tagged the movie as blasphemous. The film sparked outrage among religious communities, which led to its release being delayed in many countries. Smith had also received numerous death threats for directing "Dogma".
However, despite religious criticism, the film successfully grossed $44 million and became the highest-grossing film in the View Askewniverse series even up to now.
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