Jackass (franchise)

In the late 1990s, aspiring actor and writer Johnny Knoxville had moved from Knoxville, Tennessee to Los Angeles, California, and landed work in commercials in order to support his wife and infant daughter. Among his ideas was to produce an article that involved testing various self-defense equipment on himself as a homage to his hero, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.[5] The magazines that contacted him refused to cover the story due to liability concerns. However, in 1996, Knoxville was contacted by Big Brother, a skateboarding magazine for which Jeff Tremaine was an editor, and convinced Knoxville to do the stunt and film it. The stunt featured Knoxville testing out pepper spray, a stun gun, a taser, and a .38 caliber gun with a bulletproof vest,[5] with the gun stunt only being included in the Big Brother video entitled Number Two, which also featured an appearance by future Jackass cast member Jason "Wee Man" Acuña.[6] Other contributors to Big Brother at this time were Chris Pontius and Dave England, who went on to become a part of the Jackass crew; Dimitry Elyashkevich, who became the show's cinematographer; Rick Kosick, who became a cameraman; Sean Cliver, who became the show's main photographer; and Loomis Fall, who made recurring appearances throughout the Jackass TV show and films.

Around this time, up-and-coming professional skateboarder Bam Margera was filming his family and friends from his hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Collectively known as the CKY crew (short for "Camp Kill Yourself"), these home videos were ultimately compiled and released as part of the CKY video series.[5] The videos featured stunts, pranks, and skateboarding with a cast that primarily included Bam, Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, Raab Himself, Rake Yohn and Margera's family; his mother April, his father Phil, his uncle Don Vito, and his older brother and CKY drummer Jess. Like the Big Brother videos, the CKY releases quickly became a cult hit and attracted the attention of Tremaine, who saw the second CKY video, CKY2K, and flew Margera to Los Angeles to meet with him.[5]

The video convinced Tremaine that the CKY group would fit perfectly with the idea of a stunt and prank television show that he, Knoxville, and Spike Jonze had been planning.[5] After demo footage had been shot and pitched to several networks, Saturday Night Live made an offer to have the crew be a recurring segment on the show. The offer was rejected, and a subsequent bidding war between Comedy Central, FX, and MTV resulted in the three accepting a deal from the latter for a half-hour weekly show and greater creative control. Knoxville, Tremaine, and Jonze are credited as executive producers. Van Toffler, president of MTV, said: "We just knew there were a bunch of knuckleheads out there who had a very high tolerance for stupidity and pain."[5]

Soon after the MTV deal, Tremaine got in touch with periodic contributor to Big Brother Steve-O, who was working as a clown at a local Florida flea market, and had him film videos of his stunts for the television show, but none of the stunts were cleared by MTV management.[5] Some time later, Dave England suggested and brought in his friend Ehren McGhehey, a fellow Oregon resident and extreme stunt participant.[7] Preston Lacy would be the last of the original cast to join, after he and Knoxville previously worked together with Knoxville's ex-wife's clothing line. Knoxville told Lacy that he was making a new TV show and asked him if he could potentially write some ideas. Knoxville then convinced Lacy to perform the stunts himself.[8]

Jackass officially debuted on October 1, 2000. After the second episode aired, MTV gained its highest Sunday ratings in its history, drawing 2.4 million viewers among 12 to 34-year-olds, its target demographic.[9]

In a 2001 interview with Rolling Stone, Knoxville questioned how long the MTV show would and could last, and soon after announced that the series would end after its third season aired.[10] He also stated discontent with MTV and the censors, who, from the start of season two, increasingly gave notes regarding what the show could and could not depict. In addition, Steve-O claimed that the cast salaries paid by MTV were meager at best. Because of problems with MTV's standards and practices department, the Jackass crew did not attempt to create a finale to bring the show to a close.

After the show went off the air, the cast reunited in 2002 to film what they believed would be the finale of Jackass: a full-length motion picture version of the show entitled Jackass: The Movie. The cast made it clear that the film was their "farewell" to the fans of the show, and with the franchise taking the movie format, the cast and crew were now allowed to avoid the censors, showing more vulgar stunts than the ones featured on the TV show.[19] Despite earlier disagreements, MTV Films assisted in the film's distribution.

The film, shot on a budget of just $5 million, went on to gross over $60 million in the United States alone, and finished in the #1 spot at the box office during its debut weekend.

With the release of Jackass: The Movie, director Tremaine and the rest of the cast believed that Jackass was finished, and there would be no further projects under the franchise. However, during the final season of Wildboyz, Knoxville joined his former castmates Pontius and Steve-O on various expeditions around the world. It was said that Knoxville went so far out during the filming of the show that Tremaine pulled him aside and said "If you're willing to go this all out, why not get all the guys together and shoot another movie?" Knoxville agreed, and with both Viva La Bam and Wildboyz finishing up their runs, the entire cast was available to reunite and film the sequel.[20]

Jackass Number Two was released on September 22, 2006, produced by MTV Films and distributed by Paramount Pictures. As was the case with its predecessor, Jackass Number Two topped the box office in its debut weekend, earning $29.01 million. Footage for several stunts featured Bam Margera's uncle Vincent "Don Vito" Margera, but this was removed from the theatrical and DVD release due to his arrest and conviction on two counts of sexual assault on a minor.

On September 7, 2006, MTV featured a half-hour documentary entitled The Making of Jackass: Number Two. When asked if the film meant the end of Jackass, cast member Steve-O jokingly commented that the people who made money from the franchise still wanted more money, hinting that the cast would still continue the franchise in one form or another. At the conclusion of the documentary, Johnny Knoxville reveals that he "had a hard time letting go" because he is "so hooked on doing stunts." Cameraman Dimitry Elyashkevich confirmed that weeks after the film, Knoxville was so desperate to shoot that he would film himself running into street signs just for the sake of additional footage.[20]

On September 5, 2007, Bam Margera announced the release of Jackass 2.5 on The Howard Stern Show, a compilation film of stunts that, for one reason or another, did not make it to Jackass: Number Two.[21] The DVD was released on December 26, 2007. Special features on the DVD include the making of Jackass 2.5, the making of Jackass: The Game, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery.

On May 27, 2008, a direct-to-DVD Jackass film was released by Dickhouse Productions.[22][23] The film is a tribute to the stuntman Evel Knievel, who died on November 30, 2007, one year before the film's release.

In an August 2009 interview with The Times-Picayune, Knoxville, on the topic of Steve-O's recovery and rehabilitation, said, "He's taking to sobriety like he took to drugs and alcohol, I'm very proud of him. I think we'll see him doing some stuff here really soon. As a matter of fact, I know we are."[24] He later stated "Something's coming. We're pretty excited." Later, he added, "I think it'll be a big year next year, but I don't want to talk about it yet ..."[24]

In September 2009, Margera revealed to Iltalehti, a Finnish newspaper, that Jackass 3 would be made and filmed in places like Mongolia, South Africa and Finland as well as the United States beginning in January 2010.[25] He then confirmed it again during a broadcast of Radio Bam on September 21, 2009. In early December, Knoxville confirmed that Jackass 3 was being made.[26][27] In April 2010, a brief blurb about Jackass 3D, titled "gone filmin'", appeared on the Jackassworld website. It went on to state: "Thanks for the support the past two years. To keep abreast and adick of all things related to the world of jackass and Dickhouse (including the currently in production flick Jackass 3D), follow us on Facebook and Twitter."[28]

In late July 2010, Paramount and MTV screened the first footage from Jackass 3D at a special event during Comic-Con 2010 in its 3D format. The event allowed fans to meet the Jackass crew.[29] Then in August 2010, the official trailer was aired on MTV.

Jackass 3D was released in American movie theaters on October 15, 2010. On opening weekend, the movie made an estimated $50 million in 3,081 theaters,[30] outperforming predictions it would earn $30 million[31] and breaking the record for the most successful fall opening ever, which was previously held by Scary Movie 3.

Jackass 3.5 was released in June 2011 with unused footage shot during the filming of Jackass 3D.[32] The first trailer was released online on January 27, 2011, and the feature-length movie was released on VOD and DVD on June 14, 2011,[33] and the entire film was streamed in weekly segments on Joost, starting April 1, 2011.[34]

In March 2012, Knoxville discussed the possibility of a fourth film, saying "we're keeping our mind open" and "I've got 50–60 ideas on top of all the stuff we didn't get to shoot."[35] Then in June 2012, it was reported Paramount had "registered several domains for a film that would be called Bad Grandpa."[36]

During Margera's September 18, 2012, interview on The Howard Stern Show about Jackass, he said: "There's going to be a whole movie about Knoxville's grandpa character."

Bad Grandpa was officially announced in July 2013 and released on October 25, 2013,[37] exactly 11 years after the release of Jackass: The Movie. It was the first film in the series to be nominated for an Academy Award; it lost the Best Makeup and Hairstyling award to Dallas Buyers Club.[38]

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.5 is a version of Bad Grandpa that adds over 40 minutes of unused footage, additional outtakes, and interviews. It premiered June 15, 2014 on MTV, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray July 8, 2014.

In a 2018 interview, Knoxville said that he was open to making a fourth Jackass film that may feature some new cast members, "just to bring in some fresh blood into it."[39] He said that he had continued to write ideas for a Jackass film and that "a ton" have been set aside should the project receive the green-light. In July 2019, former cast member Chris Raab said that he had interviewed the Jackass crew on his Bathroom Break podcast and noted that everyone was still open to a fourth film should Knoxville, Tremaine, and Spike Jonze agree.[39] On December 19, 2019, Paramount confirmed that a fourth Jackass film was set for production and scheduled for release on March 5, 2021.[40] In April 2020, the film's release date was rescheduled to July 2, 2021.[41] In July 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the film was rescheduled once again to September 3, 2021.[42] In April 2021, Paramount in a major reshuffle, moved the release date again to October 22, 2021.[43] Principal photography started on March 3, 2020, and shut down on March 15, 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming resumed 7 months later on October 19, 2020. Paramount officially released the movie in the United States on February 4, 2022.

Jackass 4.5 is compiled from outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, and unused material shot during the filming of Jackass Forever, along with later interviews with the cast and crew members. It was released on Netflix on May 20, 2022, and will remain there until 2024, after which it will be released on Paramount+.

Jackass Backyard BBQ is a TV special that features the entire Jackass cast promoting the first Jackass movie. Dave England did not appear in this special, but archival footage of him is shown. It features celebrity guest appearances from Andrew W.K., Tré Cool, Rivers Cuomo, Eric Koston, Lara Flynn Boyle, Danny Masterson, and Slash. It premiered on MTV in July, 2002.

On February 23, 2008, MTV held the TV special, Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover, to coincide with the official launch of Jackassworld.com. The special allowed the core members of Jackass to take over MTV and its studios for 24 hours, broadcasting new pranks and stunts, along with a tribute to stunt man Evel Knievel shot days before.

A Tribute to Ryan Dunn is a TV movie documentary which aired on November 28, 2011. The film chronicles the life of former cast member Ryan Dunn, who died on June 20, 2011. It features interviews from Dunn's family members, the Jackass cast and crew, and some of the CKY crew members. Never-before-released footage of Dunn was also shown in this documentary.

On July 11, 2021, during Shark Week, the Discovery Channel aired Jackass Shark Week. It featured Jackass cast members Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, and new cast members Sean "Poopies" McInerney and Jasper Dolphin, with Jeff Tremaine and Trip Taylor serving as executive producers, and Dimitry Elyashkevich as camera operator. This Shark Week episode marks the first time ever someone got bit on the show.[44][45]

On June 15, 2022, Chris Pontius announced that they will be doing another Jackass Shark Week special.[46] It featured Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Sean "Poopies" McInerney, Zach Holmes,[47] Jasper Dolphin, and his dad Compston "Dark Shark" Wilson. It aired on July 24, 2022 on the Discovery Channel.[48]

Jackass: The Game was released on September 24, 2007. It was developed under a license by Sidhe Interactive in Wellington, New Zealand, for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS. The game was first shown at the 2006 E3 behind closed doors.[67] It is mentioned in the Jackass Number Two commentary: when discussing the stunt where several members get punched in the face by a spring-loaded boxing glove hidden behind a fake valentine on a wall, the commentator says the cast members had just come upstairs from shooting a promo for the video game. Knoxville and other members of the Jackass team also provided stunt ideas to the developer based on unused stunts from the show.[68] A trailer and the cover art was released in June 2007 on the game's official website. All main characters of the show were featured as playable, except for Bam Margera, whose contractual obligations to Neversoft, makers of the Tony Hawk's franchise, prevented him from appearing in any other video game.

Jackass Human Slingshot is a mobile game available on Android and iOS,[69] and was released on January 20, 2022. In this game, you play as Johnny Knoxville and get launched from a slingshot to get as much injuries as possible in order to progress. The game was developed by BBTV Interactive.

After Jackass Forever premiered in 2022, a Jackass trading card set was released.[70] The set featured autographs of the Jackass Forever cast and crew, and several Jackass Forever guest stars. This set was unique in the sense that special numbered insert cards were given only to cast and crew members, so there was no way to get these extremely rare cards directly from boxes. The only way to get one was directly from one of the cast or crew members.[70]

The CKY video series is a series of videos produced by Bam Margera and Brandon DiCamillo and other residents of West Chester, Pennsylvania. "CKY" stands for "Camp Kill Yourself". The series was part of the basis for what eventually became the Jackass TV series.

Don't Try This at Home: The Steve-O Video is the first DVD by Steve-O, released in 2001. It mostly contains footage that couldn't be shown on related MTV show Jackass, due to censorship. It was followed by Don't Try This at Home Volume 2: The Tour (2002), Steve-O: Out on Bail (2003) and Steve-O: The Early Years (2004). The video series featured recurring guest appearances from the Jackass cast and crew, and from professional skateboarder Ryan Simonetti.

Haggard: The Movie is an independent comedy film based on the story of how Ryan Dunn's girlfriend may have cheated on him. The film was financed, directed, produced, co-written, and edited by Bam Margera. The film stars Ryan Dunn, Jenn Rivell, Brandon DiCamillo, Bam Margera, Rake Yohn, and Raab Himself.

National Lampoon's TV: The Movie is a comedy film that was released in 2006 and features several cast members of Jackass including Steve-O, Preston Lacy, Wee Man, Chris Pontius, Ehren McGhehey and recurring Jackass guest Manny Puig. The film features parodies of many television shows, such as Fear Factor, Cops, MTV Cribs, The Six Million Dollar Man and Miami Vice.

3000 Miles is a documentary in which Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn, along with Tony Hawk, Mike Vallely, Mike Escamilla, and Dan Joyce from Dirty Sanchez, race 3000 miles around the world from London to Los Angeles in 8 days in the Gumball 3000 rally.

Bam Margera Presents: Where the #__SUB_LEVEL_SECTION_41__amp;% Is Santa? is a direct-to-video film about Bam Margera going on a quest to find Santa Claus with the help from Brandon Novak, his elder brother Jess, Chad I Ginsburg, Mark Hanna, Joe Frantz, Missy Rothstein, his parents Phil and April, Seth Meisterman, and his uncle Matt "Shitbirdz" Cole. Jarppi Leppälä and Jukka Hildén from The Dudesons also appear in this movie. If Bam doesn't succeed to find Santa, Mark the Bagger gets his wife Missy as a Christmas present.

Minghags is an independent comedy film that was released in 2009. It was directed, co-written, and edited by Bam Margera. It is a loose sequel to Haggard: The Movie. The film stars Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, Don Vito, Rake Yohn, Missy Rothstein, Brandon Novak, Mark the Bagger, Mark Hanna, and Angie Cuturic.

Steve-O: Guilty as Charged is Steve-O's first comedy special which was released on March 18, 2016. It features him performing various stunts in front of a live audience in a theatre in Austin, Texas, as well as him telling backstories of his career. This special premiered on Showtime.

Action Point is comedy film featuring Jackass cast members Johnny Knoxville and Chris Pontius, and new Jackass member Eric Manaka, released in 2018. Knoxville was inspired to make the film after seeing Matt Robertson's 2013 short documentary The Most Insane Amusement Park Ever, about Action Park, a theme park in New Jersey which was notorious for poorly designed, unsafe rides, in addition to employing underaged, undertrained and often under-the-influence staff.[71] Similar to Bad Grandpa, the film features traditional Jackass-style stunts connected by a fictional narrative.

Gnarly is Steve-O's second stand-up comedy special at the Gothic Theatre in Denver, Colorado. He presented stories, stunts and previously unseen footage to the audience. The special marks the first time the entire cast of Jackass reunited after the death of Ryan Dunn. It was released in 2020 and is available to watch on Steve-O's website.[72]