Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith will reprise their roles as Silent Bob and Jay for the fifth time in Smith's next feature Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back which will start production in January for Dimension Films. Dimension has already set Aug 10, 2001, as the US release date and say it will be the largest release yet for a Smith-directed film.

Mewes and Smith have played the same characters in all four of Smith's films to date - Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy and Dogma - and in the fifth will be joined by other Smith alumni Jason Lee (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma), Brian O'Halloran (Clerks) and Jeff Anderson (Clerks). Meanwhile Ben Affleck and Matt Damon - both of whom appeared in Chasing Amy and Dogma - are in negotiations to take roles in the film.

Smith's partner in View Askew Productions, Scott Mosier will produce the film; Jon Gordon, executive vice president of production for Dimension will oversee the project.

The story line is being kept under wraps but Dimension will say that the film will mark the final instalment in Smith's New Jersey chronicles.