Clerks III: Kevin Smith announces sequel will start shooting next month

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Nearly thirty years ago, Kevin Smith burst onto the scene with Clerks, a black and white indie comedy which followed a day in the lives of Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson). The film launched the View Askewniverse, and Kevin Smith would go on to helm a direct sequel in 2006 and has been talking about a third film for the past decade. Well, it seems that Clerks III is now moving forward as Lionsgate has acquired the worldwide rights for the film and Smith took to Facebook to announce that shooting will kick off next month.

"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.’ Thanks to Lionsgate, we get to return to where it all started with almost the whole cast that started it all!," Smith said in a press-release. "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." Inspired by Smith's real-life heart attack, Clerks III will find Randal having suffered a massive heart attack and enlisting fellow clerks Dante, Elias, Jay, and Silent Bob in order to make a movie immortalizing his life at the convenience store that started it all.

In their own story on the Lionsgate acquisition of worldwide rights to the film, Deadline revealed that Rosario Dawson would returning as Becky. 

In a statement, Eda Kowan, executive vice president of Acquisitions and Co-Productions for Lionsgate, said, "The Clerks movies are audience favorites and many of Kevin’s films, like Dogma, Red State, and the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot are a beloved part of our library that continues to delight Kevin’s devoted fans. We’re thrilled to be presenting the next chapter in the Clerks saga to moviegoers worldwide." Clerks III doesn't have an official release date at this time, but it expected to launch sometime in 2022.