Clerks 3: Everything We Know So Far
Following the release of "Clerks II" in 2006, fan-favorite writer/director/podcaster Kevin Smith started branching out from his View Askewniverse in 2008 with projects like "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," "Cop Out," and "Red State." However, it never felt like the cinematic universe that birthed Jay and Silent Bob was ever that far away from the New Jersey native. Not only did he release 2013's "Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie!" and eventually "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" in 2019, but he also continued to tease a third (and final?) chapter for the cult classic saga of "Clerks" in the 14 years since we last saw Dante Hicks and Randal Graves in the flesh on the big screen.
"Clerks III" has taken many forms over the years. At various points, a stage production, a comic book, and an animated follow-up to "Clerks: The Animated Series" were discussed as possible avenues for the sequel. Then, when actor Jeff Anderson expressed disinterest in the project, Smith refused to move forward without one of Quick Stop's major players. However, talks really started to ramp up again after the filmmaker's severe heart attack in 2018. Everyone got back on board in 2019 and he went to work rewriting his script that was "too dark to pursue." The new first draft was completed in January 2021, they got the green light from Lionsgate in July, and the cameras started rolling in the Garden State in August.
Now, after a long and winding road full of jug handle turns, it looks like Smith and company are finally ready to bring everyone's favorite convenience store workers back to the masses. In anticipation of the upcoming release this fall, here's everything we know so far about "Clerks III."
When and where to watch Clerks 3
Just as he's done with his past few films, Kevin Smith plans to take "Clerks III" directly to his fans by going on a road trip around the country. When the first trailer dropped for the film, it was revealed that the first leg of the tour would start in Red Bank, New Jersey on September 4, 2022, before visiting cities around North America like Philadelphia, New York City, Denver, Seattle, Vancouver, and more. The price of admission will include a screening of the new film, followed by one of Smith's trademark Q&As that may or may not include special guests. A VIP option is also available at the official "Clerks III" site that includes a signed screenplay and a picture with the filmmaker.
If your city isn't among this initial wave of dates, worry not. Another announcement regarding additional dates for "Clerks III: The Convenience Tour" is expected to come during San Diego Comic-Con, likely during Smith's annual Hall H panel. And if the stops on the tour still aren't hitting any venues near you, Fathom Events is offering two opportunities for fans to see the film in a more conventional fashion on September 13, 2022, and September 15, 2022. Tickets for those screenings are available here.
What Clerks 3 will be about
After Smith finally got the go-ahead to move forward with "Clerks III," he opted to craft a completely different script than the one that would eventually be shared at a fundraiser for the First Avenue Playhouse in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, the location where the open auditions for "Clerks" took place. In this new version, Randal survives a heart attack and starts to contemplate his legacy. While in recovery, after realizing that he's worked in a movie store his whole life and watched other people's movies, he makes the decision that he's going to make a movie of his own about his life called "In Convenience" (which was the original title of "Clerks" in real life). So in essence, Dante and Randal decide that they're going to make their own version of "Clerks."
As seen in the trailer, things get incredibly meta as longtime fans will see and hear various callbacks to the original movie like hockey on the roof, the alternate ending, Salsa Shark, and the independent contractors of the Death Star. But don't expect "Clerks III" to be too much of an existential tearjerker. Back in 2019, the filmmaker shared that rather than getting too deep into a discussion about middle age and death, he's looking to create a more life-affirming story.
"I'm going to bring my boys right back to where they brought me. I'm writing it, it writes itself because I f—ing lived it 25 years ago. It's just warm and f—ing wonderful. They're figuring it out the same way I figured it out, but I have the benefit of being able to cherry pick all my favorite stories and moments of making 'Clerks' and putting it right back into their hands."
What we know about the Clerks 3 cast and crew
As Smith himself said many times over the past 15 years, four people absolutely need to be involved in order to make a "Clerks" sequel: Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks, Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, Jason Mewes as Jay, and Kevin Smith as Silent Bob (and the writer/director). However, as is typically the case in View Askew productions, a number of familiar faces are set to visit the Quick Stop crew in their latest adventure.
In an Instagram post from July 2021 commemorating his birthday and the acquisition of his next film by Lionsgate, Smith shared that a number of actors would be returning to reprise their roles from the first two "Clerks" movies. In addition to the core four stars officially returning, he revealed that Marilyn Ghigliotti would return as Veronica Loughran from the original "Clerks," along with Jen Schwalbach, Rosario Dawson, and Trevor Fehrman as Dante's ex-fiance Emma Bunting, former Mooby's manager/Dante's current finance Becky Scott, and fellow clerk Elias Grover, respectively. Over the course of the shoot, he would also share that Austin Zajur of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" and "Fist Fight" and all four stars of "Comic Book Men" (Walt Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Mike Zapcic, and Ming Chen) joined the cast as well.
The trailer also revealed a number of cameos from the likes of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ben Affleck, Amy Sedaris, Justin Long, and Fred Armisen. Knowing Smith, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are almost certainly some other fun tricks up his sleeve for fans to find when they finally get to watch the movie. If we're lucky, maybe even God herself will drop by.