Kevin Smith has officially kicked off filming ofClerks 3at the Quick Stop in New Jersey, and to paraphrase Dante Hicks, the cast and crewaresupposed to be there today. In 1994, Smith launched his movie career with the highly successful release of the originalClerks. Starring Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson, the hit comedy was shot in the real-life convenience store where Smith worked, following the lives of two Quick Stop clerks.
At the time, Smith probably had no idea what would be in store after the movie’s release. Nearly three decades later, he’s coming back full circle with the third and likely final installment of theClerksmovie series. On Monday, which happened to beKevin Smith’s 51st birthday, the director posted the first image from day one of shooting, and fans ought to appreciate seeing O’Halloran and Anderson back behind the counter. You can look at the image below.
In the caption, Smith writes, “How I Spent My 51st Birthday!Clerks III, Day 1 - withBrian O’HalloranandJeff Andersonand Jay Mewes and Trevor Fehrman and Austin Zajur. Thanks to that sweet Lionsgate cash, we are supposed to be here today!”
Also featured in the photo are Smith himself alongside Jay Mewes, as the pair will return as Silent Bob and Jay in the sequel. Trevor Fehrman, who shined inClerks IIas Mooby’s employee Elias, is also pictured with his character set to return forClerks IIIas well. On the right in the set photo is actor Austin Zajur, the boyfriend of Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn Smith, who has appeared in movies likeScary Stories to Tell in the DarkandThe Fallout.
Clerks IIIwas seemingly never going to happen after Anderson stepped away from acting, uninterested in reprising the role of Randal Graves for another movie. Apparently, what it took was the right idea, as Smith convinced Anderson after pitching a new concept inspired byKevin Smith’s real-life heart attack.Clerks IIIwill follow Randal after he survives a heart attack and collaborates with Dante to film a movie about their lives at the Quick Stop, similar to what Smith had done in reality.
Smith has also confirmed that Rosario Dawson will reprise herClerks IIrole as Becky with Marilyn Ghigliotti returning as Dante’s ex-girlfriend Veronica. It’s likely we’ll see many other characters from Smith’s other movies as well, though the director will certainly try to keep some of those as a surprise. He is known for consistently using the same characters in various movie projects.
Along withClerksin 1994 andClerks 2in 2006, there was also a short-lived animated series adaptation that aired in 2000. Consisting of just six episodes, the series was axed at ABC after only two episodes aired, though it found a much larger audience on DVD. BeforeClerks IIIfinally got its green light, Smith had also considered doing an animated movie that would serve as a continuation of the animated series. Last year, Smith teased bringing the cartoon series back on Hulu.
Lionsgate has yet to put a release date on the schedule forClerks III, but given how long it’s taken to get to this point, it’s certainly wonderful to see that the long gestating sequel has finally started rolling cameras. The original movie is currently streaming on HBO Max if you want to give it a revisit. This news comes to us fromKevin Smith on Instagram.
