Toy Fare - September '02 issue wrote:Jay and Silent Boba?
Kevin Smith Directs Hasbro 'Star Wars' Commercials

Jedi Knight? Tubby bitch? He's now a little of both, actually.

Kevin Smith, rabid Star Wars fan and rotund writer/director of such films as Clerks and Dogma, has fulfilled a lifelong dream -- directing Star Wars TV commercials.

Spots corrently airing for Star Wars: Epic Duels and The Game of Life: A Jedi's Path board games feature Smith behind the camera calling the shots.

"This was kind of serendipity," said Hasbro's Matt Morris. "We didn't go out seeking Kevin Smith. He was shooting a commercial for one of the other clients of our ad agency when he got wind we were doing these for Star Wars and said, 'I want to be a part of that.' It's fantastic to get a first-rate director like that."

Instead of writing the commercials as he usually writes his movies, Smith executed the ad agency's concepts, something he was happy to do. "I grew up watching Star Wars toy commercials, so I jumped at the chance to do these spots. The fact that they were really well-written only sealed the deal."

Morris, who was on-set for the filming, says that Smith still brought his own special flair. "What's neat about having Kevin Smith, who is so good at dialogue, is that he'd say to the kids, 'Try the line this way,' or he'd make subtle changes," Morris observed. "That's what makes the difference."

Smith admits he's yet to actually play A Jedi's Path (based on the original Life board game) or Epic Duels, in which players can relive great Star Wars battles or create new ones. "I got a set of them, so when things slow down, I can give 'em a test run," he said.

And that's the best part. Smith says he was paid in "cold, hard American cash, and a ton of free Star Wars toys. What could be better?"