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Ben Affleck, Kevin Smith reunite for 'Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'

By Karen Butler
Ben Affleck reprises his role as Holden in "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Ben Affleck reprises his role as Holden in "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

July 20 (UPI) -- Filmmaker Kevin Smith shared on Instagram two photos of him smiling with his old friend Ben Affleck at San Diego Comic Con.

"MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK!" Smith captioned the photos, which also included actor Jason Mewes.

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In a lengthy post accompanying the images Friday, Smith explained how happy he is that he asked Affleck to be in his latest big-screen comedy, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.

Although the collaborators had been estranged for about a decade, Smith was encouraged to reach out to Affleck -- someone Smith said he "missed terribly" -- after Affleck said in a TV interview he was willing to work with Smith again.

Affleck reprises his role of Holden McNeil, a comic-book creator and friend to the titular slacker heroes, in Reboot.

Affleck previously played the character in 2001's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and 1997's Chasing Amy.

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"His scene is one of the best bits of cinema I've ever been involved with: it's absolutely magical and life-affirming and all the things I really care about now, post-heart attack," Smith wrote about Reboot. "Not only did we score an amazing scene for the flick, but I also got my friend back -- all because of entertainment journalism."

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MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK! When the trailer for @jayandsilentbob Reboot dropped (link in my bio), folks found out a few of our secrets - one of the biggest being that @benaffleck is back as Holden McNeil! The co-creator of #bluntmanandchronic and friend of #jayandsilentbob plays a crucial role in the Reboot and his scene is one of the best bits of cinema I've ever been involved with: it's absolutely magical and life-affirming and all the things I really care about now, post-heart attack. But when we started shooting the movie, the scene didn't exist. This scene - and more importantly, my reunion with a guy who I've missed terribly for nearly a decade - only happened because of @kevinmccarthytv. Kev interviewed Ben for his @netflix movie #triplefrontier and kicked off by asking Ben "Did they call you for Reboot yet?" And Ben said no, but he was available. So producer @jordanmonsanto said "Call Ben." I told her "That's just some nice shit to say at a junket. He wasn't serious." A week later, Jordan, @jaymewes and @jenschwalbach we're all pressing me to reach out to Ben, so I finally did. I was scared to be rejected, but I texted him "To paraphrase the sad old King Osric in CONAN THE BARBARIAN? 'There comes a time when the jewels cease to sparkle, when the gold loses its luster, when the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is a director's love for the people he used to make pretend with.'" And after a long beat of wondering how he'd receive this, my estranged friend wrote back as only he could: "Of course you still liken yourself to a king," he joked. And then "Would be a pleasure to see you again, Old Man." So naturally, weepy me - who breaks down emotionally during comic book flicks - was a blubbery mess. Not only did we score an amazing scene for the flick, but I also got my friend back - all because of entertainment journalism. Thank you, #kevinmccarthytv - your #viewaskew themed opening question not only allowed me to make an 8 page sequel to #chasingamy in the middle of #JayAndSilentBobReboot, it also brought back a massive missing piece of my heart. #KevinSmith #benaffleck #JasonMewes #reunited #comiccon #holdenmcneil

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