Kevin Smith casting for provincial dollars to make 'Moose Jaws'

Filmmaker Kevin Smith is seeking provincial support for a movie project in Saskatchewan.

• Movie director Kevin Smith causing stir in Saskatchewan

Smith, the director of cult classics like Dogma and Chasing Amy, has written a new moviecalled Moose Jawsand has been in Moose Jaw, Sask., scouting potential locations.

Creative Saskatchewan has confirmed Smith applied for a government grant to support the project.

Moose Jawsis my favourite thing I've ever written.- Kevin Smith

Saskatchewan used to have an incentive program to attract film and television productions. It was ended and the province now provides funding in the form of grants.

Creative Saskatchewan wouldn't go into detail about how much money Smith is seeking.

"Kevin Smith has not been shy about publicly sharing his enthusiasm for Moose Jaw and Moose Jaws," the agency said in a statement. "We are confirming that we have received an application to our Screen Based Media Production Grant program from the makers of Moose Jaws. That application is being processed."

Nova Alberts, president of the Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association, thinks a Smith film would be worthwhile to the localfilm industry.

"Here's a story, set in Moose Jaw, that could actually be filmed in Moose Jaw and bring all of the economic investment and exposure that a major motion picture can bring to our province," she said.

True North trilogy

According to Smith, in a panel discussion posted to YouTube in January, Moose Jaws will be the third film of a trilogy (following up on Yoga Hosers, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and Tusk).

The concept is that actor Justin Long, who starred in Tusk, will reprise his character to fight a killer moose.

"The last movie in the True North trilogy is Moose Jaws," Smith said. "It's just Jaws with a moose instead of a shark."

He characterized the set of films as "Canadian rubber monster movies."

"Moose Jaws is my favourite thing I've ever written," Smith said. "This is like pouring my heart out on a page."

He said he loved the film Jaws and is exciting about setting the movie in Canada.

"The whole thing is, beat for beat, Jaws, up until the third act [when it becomes] five different movies," he explained. "It becomes Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Star Trek II - The Wrath of Kahn and ends with Return of the Jedi."