The lifespan of the Clerks saga has been a thing of mystery, as writer/director Kevin Smith has discussed his finished script time and again while waiting for every main cast member and funding to come through. Though the project was reportedly dead in the water as of 2017, it appears the wheels are in motion once more as Smith took to Instagram to reveal his talks with Jeff Anderson and Jason Mewes to return for one final installment.
“I spent Saturday signing stuff and catching up, seeing so much movie merch that’s been made over the last 25 years! But even better than that? We talked about making a movie together. It’ll be a movie that concludes a saga. It’ll be a movie about how you’re never too old to completely change your life. It’ll be a movie about how a decades-spanning friendship finally confronts the future. It’ll be a movie that brings us back to the beginning – a return to the cradle of civilization in the great state of #newjersey. It’ll be a movie that stars Jeff and Brian O’halloran, with me and Jay in supporting roles. And it’ll be a movie called CLERKS III! To be great is to go on. To go on is to go far. To go far is to return. And we’re all gonna return to the scene of the crime! This won’t be the old script we almost made a few years back: this is a completely new screenplay that I just started writing last night! And so far, it’s like a dream come true!’
“After mending fences with Ben Affleck earlier this year, I was hoping for a chance to do the same with Jeff – so huge thanks to Leeloo Multiprops for getting us all in the same room. But the biggest thanks ever go to Jeff, for being receptive to the idea at all. This means I’m gonna get to play with my two favorite inaction figures again: Dante & Randal! Two weeks from the debut of Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, I’m ecstatic to announce our imminent return to Quick Stop! So I assure you: we’re open!”
Not only does his post mention that he’s got Anderson on board again, but that the finished script from a few years prior will not be the one used moving forward on the project, rather he is writing a new script that he started writing as of yesterday.
Lately, the director has been hard at work on the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. Both Smith and Jason Mewes are reprising their title roles alongside other returning stars, and new faces, from their cinematic canon. Jay (Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) were first introduced as drug dealers hanging around outside the Quick Stop 25 years ago in Smith’s directorial debut, Clerks. They’ve continued to appear in Smith’s cinematic canon including Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and, of course, Clerks II, as well as the animated film Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie. The new movie will take jabs at reboots, remakes, and sequels while simultaneously being all three at the same time.
RELATED: Chasing Amy’s Joey Lauren Adams Returning for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
Saban Films is planning to release the sequel theatrically. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group acquired all foreign rights to the movie. Jordan Monsanto of Smodco is producing alongside Liz Destro for Destro Film.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot wrapped principal production on March 27 and is set to hit theaters on October 15.
