It has been ten years since the show Jacka** first aired on MTV. After its two-year run and two major motion pictures, viewers thought they had seen it all from theJacka**team. That changed when creator Johnny Knoxville announced in 2009 that Jacka** 3D was underway, leaving fans in anticipation.
Johnny Knoxville first came up with the Jacka**concept as an aspiring actor. He pitched an article idea, consisting of his experiences on testing self-defense devices on himself, to editor Jeffrey Tremaine at Big Brother Magazine, a skateboarding humor magazine. Tremaine hired Knoxville as a journalist and had him videotape these stunts for stories, marking the beginning of the Jacka**franchise.
A decade later, the cast and crew is preparing to release the third installment of the films, Jacka** 3D, on Oct. 15.
In a conference call with the Inferno, Knoxville described their working relationship as close.
“We give each other hell but you can feel how close we are in this film,” he said.
For the first time, the Jacka**crew decided to create a 3D film. The popularity of 3D films has increased, but has never been used in a documentary film. At first many people were skeptical. The cast confessed they initially resisted the idea, but after testing the stunts with high-tech cameras, they realized it would enhance the viewers’ experience.
“It feels like you are at the stunt with us. If feels like you are in the middle of it,” Knoxville said. “It makes a dumb idea, even dumber.”
Tremaine said that not only was it an enjoyable experience to film in 3D, but it also provided them with a good title for the movie from the beginning.
The previous Jacka**shows and films have all focused on the daredevil antics of the participants as well as providing humor for all who watched. The cast’s main concern with a three-dimensional film was the process would taking away from the stunts.
“I don’t want to worry about the cameras,” Knoxville said. “I just wanted to do what we do.”
Aside from the crew preparing the set a few hours earlier and having three people assigned to each of the expensive, bulky cameras, filming Jacka** 3Dfelt the same as the previous installments.
“It is bigger than ever. We elevate the stunts and it takes more to make us laugh. It is competitive because everyone wants to get the best footage,” Knoxville told the Inferno.
After pursuing his acting career in Hollywood in movies such as The Ringer and The Dukes of Hazzardamong others, Knoxville says he continues to enjoy every aspect of his work: “I lend my services where needed. I am able to jump back and forth with ease [between acting and being behind the scenes directing].”
The stunts performed on Jacka**have been the object of many lawsuits during their show’s stint on MTV. The director, cast and crew along with the network warns viewers not to attempt any of the pranks and stunts performed. Still, many teenagers and fans have been injured trying to imitate them.
Many wonder how much longer the franchise will continue and for how much longer the cast will be willing to participate. Knoxville is now 39 years old, and cast members like Bam Margera have started families, dimming the future of Jacka** more than ever before.
As far as ideas for future projects, Knoxville and Tremaine both agree that there is never a shortage of ideas.
“We were just bursting with ideas and there was a pile of [them] we never got to do because we ran out of time,” Knoxville said.
There is no doubt that for diehard Jacka**fans, the upcoming film will be a treat, especially in 3D. For the rest who are skeptical, they are in for a surprise.
With stunts such as the four-foot-five and the port-a-potty launcher, this film is sure to be a hysterical success.
