Kevin Smith is celebrating the 15th anniversary ofClerks IIjust as pre-production officially begins on the upcoming sequelClerks 3. Just recently, it was announced that Lionsgate had picked up the third installment of the franchise that first launched Smith’s career as a filmmaker in 1994. The sequel,Clerks II, was released in theaters in 2006, featuring a mix of new and returning characters.
On Wednesday,Kevin Smithtweeted an image of aClerks IIposter in honor of the 15th anniversary. In the tweet, Smith writes: “Clerks IIcame out 15 years ago today. It remains one of my favorite things I’ve ever done, professionally or personally. @DarkNateReturns commemorates the occasion with this amazing poster! A week from Monday, we start shooting CLERKS III - and the 7 leads shown here all return!”
The seven leads Smith is referring to seen on theClerks IIposter are Brian O’Halloran as Dante Hicks, Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, Rosario Dawson as Becky Scott, Trevor Fehrman as Elias Grover, Jason Mewes as Jay, and, of course, Smith himself as Silent Bob. Chances are we’ll be seeing other characters who’ve appeared in the first twoClerksmovies appearing in one way or another inClerks III.
Meanwhile, Smith just happened to be back at RST Video location to prepare forClerks IIIwhen he found a peculiar discovery. As posted in another image on Twitter, the filmmaker located an old VHS with his handwriting on the label that he’d left behind afterClerkslaunched his career as a director.
“Getting ready forClerks III, I found thisold VHSI left behind in 1994,” Smith tweeted. “It’s full ofLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Supermanepisodes I taped when I used to work at Quick Stop. The kid who made this tape had no idea that he’d one day write an unmadeSupermanscript.”
Sharing the same photo on Instagram, Smith addded: “The kid who recorded thatvideo tapehas no f—ing clue where his love of movies, TV, comics, and pop culture would take him over the next 27 years. I know I shouldn’t speak for that kid - but I do know him a little bit, and I think it’s fair to say he didn’t see any of this coming. But not a day goes [by] where he’s not thankful for all those opportunities either.”
Written and directed by Smith,Clerks IIIpicks up with Randal adopting a new outlook on life after surviving a massive heart attack and enlisting his pals to help him make a movie in the Quick Stop based on their lives as Clerks. Pre-production has already begun with plans to start filming next month. Smith announced previously that he would be shooting the movie on location in New Jersey.
“There’s a saying from the Tao that goes something like ‘To be great is to go on. To go on is to go far. To go far is to return,'” Smith said in a statement. “Thanks to Lionsgate, we get to return to where it all started with almost the whole cast that started it all! And for the first time since the first time we ever made a movie in 1993, we’re shooting the entire flick on location in New Jersey, as an ode to both the enduring allure of cinema and the resourcefulness and lunacy of its storytellers. Years ago, Dante and Randal made me a filmmaker - so now it’s time I return the favor.”
Lionsgate hasn’t yet set an official release date forClerks III. In the meantime, Smith’s new animated seriesMasters of the Universe: Revelationwill premiere on Netflix on July 23. This news comes to us fromKevin Smith.
