Following the Jackass Forever trailer, Johnny Knoxville and gang have been put on blast by PETA after a recent trailer revealed some of the stunts involving animals in the upcoming sequel. Serving as the fourth and likely final installment of the Jackass movie series, the sequel brings back Johnny Knoxville and the gang for one last round of dangerous stunts and gross-out gags. Given everything we know about these guys, Jackass Forever might feature some of the craziest stunts we've seen from them yet.

While the Jackass cast members know they're putting their bodies on the line for the movie's different stunts and tricks, PETA has taken exception to the way they've involved animals. After the release of the trailer, the animal rights organization released an official statement condemning the movie for "normalizing animal exploitation." They're also demanding for Paramount to cut all of the stunts involving animals. As PETA President Ingrid Newkirk explains in the statement:

"Jackass stunts are violent and vulgar, but if the talent is willing and the wounds are self-inflicted, that's one thing-however, it's quite another when animals are exploited, harassed, and harmed: That's cruelty. The Jackass Forever trailer shows Knoxville's crew provoking a snake and a bull to the point of attack, treating a tarantula like a game piece, and coercing a chained bear to eat honey off a bound participant. Four months before its release, Jackass Forever has already risked normalizing animal exploitation and legitimizing the cruel exhibitors who pimp out animals for productions. PETA is urging producers to remove stunts involving animals from the film."

For what it's worth, at least one scene involving animals appears to have already been removed, but not because of PETA's objections. Before he was fired from the project, Bam Margera had snakes thrown on him in the dark by the other cast members on the first day of filming due to his deathly fear of the slithering reptiles. Margera was later publicly fired from the sequel and it's presumed that all of his scenes have been scrapped from the final cut.

Jeff Tremaine returns to direct Jackass Forever with the returning cast including Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Jason "Wee Man" Acuna, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, and Preston Lacy. New cast members joining the gang are Sean "Poopies" McIerney, Jasper Dolphin, and Zach Holmes. Some of the stars that make guest appearances include Machine Gun Kelly, Tony Hawk, Mat Hoffman, DJ Paul, and Eric Andre.

"I can't afford to have any more concussions. I can't put my family through that," Knoxville previously told GQ, confirming that he plans to retire from Jackass after this fourth movie. "You can only take so many chances before something irreversible happens. I feel like I've been extremely lucky to take the chances I've taken and still be walking around."

Of the falling out with Bam, Knoxville added: "We want Bam to be happy and healthy and get the help he needs. We tried to push that along. I think that's all I really want to say about it."

Jackass Forever is scheduled to be released in theaters by Paramount Pictures on Oct. 22, 2021. Whether the studio ends up taking out the animal scenes to appease PETA remains to be seen. This news comes to us from PETA.