Kevin Smith Making Film About the Trinity

Kevin Smith–the irreverent director who brought us such films as Clerks and Dogma–is once again causing a stir among the faithful. Last month, Smith began filming Trinity, a film based upon the Christian understanding of God. According to insider sources, the film, which is presumably going for the same vibe as Dogma, depicts “one day in the life of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.”

In a recent interview with Variety, Smith explained the concept for the film this way:

Look. I’m not trying to piss off devout Christians. Instead, the film is really exploring the question: “What does God think of what we’ve done with the world?” I chose to depict God as a Trinity because the idea has always fascinated me…and because it allows for some hilarious conversations. You can’t exactly build great dialog with a God who only talks to himself. This way, we can see God talking amongst themselves, so to speak…and see different facets of God in these different characters.

When asked whether or not his film is likely to cause controversy, Smith replied:

Of course it will. I mean, I have no real need to make God come off looking good in this picture. I’m depicting the Trinity in a way that is very human and humorous. If I maintained their sanctity, the movie would suck. But in the end, the movie isn’t about making fun of God…but making fun of us…human beings.

The film will star Michael Caine as God the Father, Christian Bale as Jesus Christ, and that blond guy from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure as the Holy Ghost. Both Caine and Bale will add acting gravitas to this off-beat comedy. Unfortunately, their market values broke the budget, leaving a shoe-string budget for the rest of the film…including casting for the Holy Ghost.

When asked about this decision, Smith replied:

The film won’t really rely upon special effects…it isn’t as though we’re going to have Michael [Caine] shooting lightening from his fingers. The movie is classier than that…Regarding my casting for the Holy Ghost. Well, to be honest, he doesn’t really do much. He is really more of a foil and a prop for the other two, so I didn’t want to bring in a Hollywood heavyweight for that role.

Already, before any of the actual content of the film has been made public, religious groups are protesting the film. The most vocal critics have been James Dobson of Focus on the Family and Bill Donahue of the Catholic League. Donahue calls the film “blasphemy with heresy mixed in.” Dobson believes that the film is “an affront to all decent people of faith everywhere.”

Trinity is scheduled for wide release around Christmas 2009.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t a real film. That is why this article is in the “satire” section. For the record, “that blond dude from Bill and Ted is named Alex Winter. I’m sure he’s a fine actor.

This is the second in a series of satirical posts leading up to the day of Pentecost. In honor of that esteemed day, consider submitting to the Pentecost Writing Competition! And don’t forget. We need regular submissions to keep the content flowing as well (submit here).

for further reading . . .

• Find Yourself In The Faces Of Others
• Interview: Becky Garrison, Satirist
• Hey, I care about those poor people too!