They’re not even supposed to be here today, but they’re coming back just the same. Kevin Smith has taken to Instagram to announce that Clerks III will finally be made. Fans may remember Smith announced Clerks III a couple of years ago, only for it to fall apart when Jeff Anderson, who plays clerk Randal Graves, declined to return. In his post, Smith says that, after signing some merchandise for Leeloo Multiprops together, the two “mend[ed] fences” (which makes me wonder what exactly happened between them), and with Anderson on board, a third Clerks film is a go. Brian O’Halloran will also be back as co-clerk Dante Hicks, with Jason Mewes and Smith once more embodying the immortal Jay and Silent Bob. Smith is writing a new screenplay rather than using the one he wrote for his last attempt.
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I wonder if this is the start of a View Askewniverse revival. Smith says that Clerks III will be “a movie that concludes a saga,” indicating he intends it to be the final chapter of his Jersey series (much like George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, Smith originally intended it to be a trilogy), but he said that about both Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II in the past. Now that both Ben Affleck and Jeff Anderson are cozy with him again, maybe he’ll be reinvigorated. Before either of these new movies, Smith wanted to make a second Mallrats and had almost the entire cast on board, but Universal (who own the rights to Mallrats) weren’t keen on making another one by themselves, nor were any of the studios and streaming services to which Smith pitched the idea; if Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and Clerks III are successful, maybe they’ll change their minds and we can finally see Die Hard in a Mall. I imagine that’s a longshot, but a fella can dream. In the meantime, I’m delighted that Clerks III is happening; the View Askewniverse is very special to me, and for a long time, I figured it was done. But a guy like Kevin Smith is never to be counted out, and now his cast of crazy Jersey dwellers is coming back at least twice because, even all these years later, he refuses to give up on his dreams.
Are you excited about Clerks III? What do you think the plot will be? Any chance the Berserker guy returns? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to Geeks + Gamers for more movie news!