A couple of weeks ago, everyone got sort-of excited about the fact that Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno got slapped with the kiss-of-death NC-17 rating by the MPAA. I sure did: even the tiniest glimmer of hope that a mainstream film may make it into release with an NC-17 would be great news. Maybe -- as Roger Ebert among others has been pushing for years -- we can finally decriminalize the Movie for Adults.

But we all knew it was wishful thinking; that Smith is almost certainly obligated by contract to do whatever it takes to secure the R for Zack and Miri. In a conversation with Capone of Ain't It Cool News, Smith confirms that, and goes into considerable detail about his back-and-forth with the MPAA over the film.

Smith claims that the MPAA originally gave him two "areas" of the film to focus on; after he cut out more than 12 minutes, did some trims of other offending section, and resubmitted (twice), the ratings board apparently got hung up on one 14-frame-long shot ("It's not even a second!" Smith objects) and Smith gave up on editing and is now simply appealing the rating. If his appeal is rebuffed, he says, he won't have a choice but to make the cuts. And he's not angry about it: "I haven't blogged about it, I'm not out there screaming 'Oh my God, they're violating my .f***ing civil liberties or my rights as an artist.' It's just part of the process." (This is in stark contrast to star Seth Rogen's take on the subject.) The MPAA is set to hear the appeal on August 4th.

Smith also tells AICN he is still planning to make the fundamentalism-themed horror movie Red State; the Weinstein Co. refused to finance it, but he is close to securing some independent backing.

Over on The Hot Blog, David Poland has the weekend box office numbers up, and the one thing that popped out at me, probably because I just saw and reviewed the film last week, is that Lake of Fire, which opened at Film Forum in NYC this weekend, did not do nearly as well as might have been expected. There's some discussion in the comments on Poland's post speculating on the whys and wherefores of the film's less-than-stellar opening, the main gist of which is that either the film did not appeal to people because no one wants to see the abortion process on a big screen while they're munching their popcorn, or because the film doesn't take a side on the abortion issue, and people who are passionate about it on one side or the other do not want to see the other side treated fairly.

I pondered this for a while this morning as I lingered over my Monday morning coffee. As I noted in my review of the film, Lake of Fire does give both sides of the debate equal weight, but I also think that the way each side will be perceived is in the eye of the beholder. I could see the film playing well in red states, because the film doesn't portray right-to-lifers (on the whole) as a bunch of nutcases. Sure, there are some some interesting folks in there, but there are also attractive women in there talking about why they are pro-life. And even the folks that a liberal might view as off-their-rocker (such as Assembly of God preacher John Burt and Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry) would probably be viewed by a lot of fundamentalist Christians as good, God-fearing guys who are simply passionate about their beliefs on the subject.

During a very long and detailed blog entry over on his website, Kevin Smith "dropped the bomb" that The Weinstein Co. have officially passed on his planned "horror" flick Red State. As Kevin points out, this is the first time the Weinsteins have ever passed on one of his projects, which, in Kevin's mind, means it might be time to shack up with someone else on a film. And I love the way they passed; you will only here reasons like this in Hollywood, folks. Here, from Kevin himself: "The only explanation Michael gives me is 'Harvey thought it was more of a Bob flick and then Bob didn't get it. They'd rather just concentrate on 'Zack and Miri' at the moment, which we're all pumped about.'" I mean, I can see why they passed -- Smith is known for his raunchy slice-of-life comedy, and the chances the Weinsteins have taken in the last year (ahem, Grindhouse) haven't paid off so well. Zack and Miri is more along the lines of what Smith's fans are used to, and so they'd rather go with that over his "experimentation film."

But I'll be real honest with you, and Kevin kind of says the same thing -- I have a feeling the Weinsteins are passing on something good. I haven't read the script for Red State (though I'd love to), but I can't be the only one who's dying to see Smith flirt with something completely out of his comfort zone. Here's how Smith reacts to the news: "It might be nice to see if we can get something done without them. Whether it'll be nice or not, however, it's what's in the cards, as they don't feel the flick is very commercial. And, in truth, on the surface, it may not be - unless we get the buzz I think we'll get off the festival circuit. Regardless, it's not something we'll have to think about 'til after we're done with "Zack and Miri Make a Porno." So, as of now, Red State is on hold. Should Zack and Miri kill at the box office, I'm sure the Weinsteins will be back in Kev's ear, itching for another comedy. But I hope he sticks to his guns, and goes after Red State. It'll find a home, I'm sure, and I'd really love to see it.

Of Note: It appears Seth Rogen is rumored to be up for the part of Zack in Zack and Miri Make a Porno. How interesting would that be if the Apatow world mixed with Smith's Askewverse? I'd dig it -- you?

Kevin Smith recently promised to return to a more regular blogging schedule on his site My Boring Ass Life, and as part of that he shared some more new info on his upcoming film Red State. This is the film Smith will be directing after he has completed the comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Neither film will feature any characters from Smith's previous films, all of which (with the exception of Jersey Girl) took place within what has come to be known as the View Askewniverse, named for Smith's View Askew Productions. Red State will also be Smith's first foray into the horror genre, and according to a recent blog entry of Smith's, the script is now finished. Apparently the writing went fairly quickly, and this script was different from his previous ones in a number of ways.

"Finished Red State around 1-ish," blogs Smith. "Totally different than anything I've written before. Very f****d up. Shortest script I've ever written, too, as well as the least dialogue-driven (not to say there's not a lot of dialogue in it still; just not nearly as much as I'm used to writing). It's a weird, relentlessly bleak and extremely unsettling affair, that Red State script. If you didn't know I wrote it, and you read it, and I told you afterwards that I'd written it, you'd be like 'Bullsh*t.'"

You also can read another bit from Smith over on the News Askew website, where he mentions this might not be the type of film the Weinsteins would be interested in financing. If that turns out to be the case, Smith is prepared to court financing elsewhere. Personally, I'm looking forward to these next two films from Smith, despite the fact that his last attempt to step outside the View Askewniverse resulted in the disappointing Jersey Girl. His way-cool work on the Daredevil and Green Arrow comics is proof enough that comedy is not the only thing he can write.

Over at AOL TV, there's an interview up with director Kevin Smith where he drops this very juicy little tidbit: one of his upcoming projects is directing an episode of the last season of Battlestar Galactica! Smith talks about how he was able to tour the BSG set when he was on the same lot shooting Reaper:

"I walked around the Galactica [ship] and whatnot. But now to go back in a different capacity is more nerve-wracking. it is more fun to just walk around and be like, "Holy shit, that's the colonial viper." Then it is to be like," Alright, how are we going to shoot this colonial viper scene?" "

Smith also talks about his new book, My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith (basically a collection of entries from him blog) and Red State, his upcoming horror film, which he assures fans will not be a comedy-horror like Shaun of the Dead. Sayeth Smith, "Not Shaun of the Dead. I'm sure there will be a little bit of humor in it, but it's not like a comedic horror film. I don't know how they are going to market it. The last thing you want to put on the poster is "from the director of 'Clerks.'"

It's hard for me to really imagine what a horror film from Smith might look like. All I really know about it so far is that it's about a some misfits who encounter a group of fundamentalists, and that Smith said in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes back in April that controversial preacher Fred Phelps, head of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas (you know, those folks known for their extreme homophobia and for picketing the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq), is an influence on the film. "That dude has always fascinated me and he's really informed the horror movie that I'm working on," Smith said in that interview.

Hmm ... so kind of Jay and Silent Bob meets Children of the Corn, only with Fred Phelps starring as the freaky preacher kid ... that could work.

One thing that Comic-Con isn't complete without is Kevin Smith's signature "talk." You give the guy an hour or so, and he'll fill it up everything from movie news, to anecdotes about life that usually involve oral sex, to his own level of geekery.

Kevin was gracious enough to not only sit down with me for an hour after his panel was over, but he also let me know that he was really digging our Comic-Con coverage. According to him, he was only five minutes away from the convention center, but our liveblogging let him stay seated in an air-conditioned, geek-free, no costume zone. Not that he doesn't love that stuff, but when given the choice, sometimes your own room can be pretty darned comfortable.

For those out there who saw this headline and thought their dreams had finally come true, get ready for a major disappointment. MTV Movie News spoke with director Kevin Smith about his two new films, Red State -- a horror film that revolves around a fanatical religious leader, and the comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno. First up is Zack and Miri, and that's where Dawson comes in. Smith told MTV, "I wrote [the role of Miri ] for Rosario Dawson, I'd be kind of flabbergasted if she didn't do it". Unfortunately, when MTV contacted Dawson's reps they said that, "no deal is in place at the moment" -- with the emphasis on "the moment", I would expect. The comedy centers on two old high school friends who meet up at their reunion and decide to go into the amateur porn business, and the film marks the first time Smith has written a female lead.

Last month, Erik had news of a script excerpt released to Entertainment Weekly, but at the time no casting had been finalized. Now, Smith has confirmed that long-time co-star Jason Mewes, and Clerks alum Jeff Anderson are both signed on to appear. Smith had worked with Dawson on Clerks II and the two seemed to hit it off. Considering Dawson seems to be a bit of a comic book nerd herself, I am sure they have plenty to talk about. Smith is planning on having Porno done by Christmas, and then he's off to start shooting Red State in February or March of next year. Since Dawson's other commitment, Poor Things, might have hit a snag, she could have some free time coming up in her schedule.

Little by little we're starting to learn more about Kevin Smith's new comedy project, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and now Entertainment Weekly has printed one whole page from the script for all of us to check out. In the grand scheme of things, one page is not a lot -- but Smith chose to hand over a pretty delicious segment; one that serves as a sort of on-the-page teaser. EW has cleverly replaced all the foul language with different variations of the word 'cuddle,' but it's not hard to figure out what Zack and Miri are talking about. Think about it: The film is called Zack and Miri Make a Porno. You get the idea ...

The film apparently follows two losers (a guy and a girl) from St. Cloud, Minnesota who, with nothing going for them, decide to try to make a porno. What's interesting about this project versus all of Smith's previous work is that, for the first time, he has decided to write a female main character instead of going with two male leads. Right now, the closest film to Zack and Miri appears to be Chasing Amy (which prominently featured Joey Lauren Adams, though the main characters were played by Ben Affleck and Jason Lee). And since Amy has always been my favorite Smith film, I already have good vibes about Zack and Miri. Although Smith is also working on a low-budget "horror" film called Red State, I'm thinking the Weinsteins are going to push for the comedy first. I mean, that's the one people are talking about and that's the one we keep hearing about. No one has been cast as of yet, however we keep hearing that Rosario Dawson may be trying out for the part of Miri. Will a Smith regular play Zack? Personally, I'd love to see Jason Lee in the role, even if he is a tad too old to play the part.

We've had to wait a little bit, but the LA Times reveals today the title and plot description of Kevin Smith's new comedy -- Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Pic, which will most likely begin production this coming February in Minnesota, is described by Smith as being "a bawdy sex comedy with heart." Picked up by The Weinstein Co. after Smith had only written the title, Zack and Miri Make a Porno will chronicle two friends (yes, Zack and Miri) who, upon reaching their 30s with nothing to show for it, lots of rent problems and a 15-year high school reunion looming in the distance, decide to try and ignite an amateur porn enterprise. I imagine that might be a bit tricky in Minnesota ... during the dead of winter.

Smith goes on to say that it's ".... dirty, with nudity. But funny nudity, not gratuitous nudity." But before he dives into that, Smith hopes to first shoot his "horror" flick Red State for a measly $3 million. Aiming to give that flick a "naturalistic, drive-in feel," it appears the plot will center on a group of outsiders who stumble into "fundamentalism gone to the extreme" somewhere in Middle America. But that's all we know so far; apparently, Smith is keeping the Red State script a secret from everyone and, those interested, need an invite from Smith in order to read it. An interesting sidenote is that Rosario Dawson (who starred in Clerks II) is supposed to give it a read this week, which may or may not mean there might be a role for her somewhere in there.

Personally, I think both ideas have potential (although this isn't the first time the whole "amateur porn" angle has been used in a comedy). Honestly, I know the jokes will be funny; I'm more curious about who he casts. Will Smith call up some of his regulars, or will we get to see some fresh faces? Will he dip into the Apatow pack for Zack and Miri? Oh, and Kevin (since I know you're reading this), do drop your pals at Cinematical a line when you have some casting news (erik@cinematical.com) -- we'd love to hear from you.

For the first time in his career, Kevin Smith is preparing to shoot back-to-back films, but with each set in a different genre. Over on his View Askew message boards, Smith recently told fans that, as of yesterday, he has finished the script for his new comedy; all we know about that one is that it takes place during the winter and is set in Minnesota. Smith says, "Finished a script a few minutes ago. The comedy. 146 pages. I'll spend tomorrow taming it down to 120 pages or so. It's really funny, really dirty, and really touching stuff. Granted, I'm biased. Now, onto "Red State"... Two days later he stopped in to say, "So I spent the next two days trimming the length down to 120 pages, then turned it over to [Scott] Mosier. First test passed: Mosier loved it. Gonna make some more trims in the first thirty pages, and turn it in to the Brothers Weinstein on Monday, hopefully."

As far as Red State goes, that's Smith's so-called horror film and, as far as we know, that's the one he's shooting first. Last we heard, Smith told Rotten Tomatoes that he was going to shoot Red State later this year, followed by the comedy during the winter. I'm not sure how he can pull off shooting two films only a few months apart (Minnesota is a smart place, as their winters usually last well into April), but I guess we'll have to wait and see what he decides to go. The film we know the most about right now is Red State; Smith has said that the film won't be your typical horror flick as he's drawn inspiration from those extremist Church groups, with the Westboro Baptist Church (led by Fred Phelps) acting as his muse. But fear not, as soon as we hear more you'll be the first to know.