When Paramount reshuffled their release date deck for the umpteenth time, one of the major casualties was Jackass Forever, which got pushed from October to February 2022. As a result, last month’s PAW Patrol: The Movie will be the final feature from the studio to hit theaters this year, with the drought lasting until Scream lands next January.
Naturally, a lot of fans instantly began theorizing that the delay may have something to do with Bam Margera taking legal action against the production after he was fired for failing to adhere to his contractually obligated sobriety. It’s been a messy situation playing out in public between guys who were the closest of friends for two decades, but Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O just want him to get healthy.
It’s a situation Steve-O knows a thing or two about, having admitted that Knoxville effectively saved his life thirteen years ago when he staged an intervention, with the daredevil having been clean ever since. In a new interview with TMZ, he addressed the rumors head on that Bam’s lawsuit was the reason behind Jackass Forever‘s delay.
“A lot of people speculate that it was because of Bam and his lawsuit, but no, it’s just because of COVID. The comfort level for the public to go to movie theaters has dropped down. I tell you this man, I love Bam. I have no idea how he managed to get anybody to file a lawsuit. I’ve read it, and it’s just absurd. I mean it’s literally absurd. I shouldn’t even say what I said, but I can tell you that the lawsuit is absurd.”
COVID was always going to be the driving force behind Jackass Forever moving to 2022, especially when Paramount wiped their entire theatrical slate clean. Having already sold seven titles off to streamers since the pandemic took hold and then dropped Mark Wahlberg’s Infinite on their in-house platform, it’s clear that the money men in the boardroom are just biding their time so that the long-awaited fourth installment in the franchise can maximize its earning potential.