While he still works on other things (his podcasting empire, the recent Masters Of The Universe: Revelation series), Kevin Smith is always going back to the beginning, dipping into what fans know as the View Askewniverse that sprung from his 1994 debut Clerks. And this time, it promises to be an emotional affair, as Smith aims to wrap up his Clerks trilogy with Clerks III. Smith (on twitter, see the post lower down the page) and Lionsgate have now revealed a first look image from the film.
The cameras are already cranking in New Jersey, and as the picture confirms, original Clerks stars Brian O’Halloran as Dante and Jeff Anderson as Randal are back, joined again by Clerks II veterans Rosario Dawson (Becky) and Trevor Fehrman (Elias). We also know that Jason Mewes is returning as Jay, with Smith at his side as Silent Bob.
And from the looks of the cast list, we'll be reunited with Marilyn Ghigliotti's Veronica from the original.
Expect a wealth of other people (and several cameos) in a film that goes even more meta than usual with Smith referencing both the first film and his own 2018 heart attack in a story that sees Randal suffering his own cardiac crisis and enlisting his fellow clerks to shoot a film immortalizing his life at the convenience store (and its next door video shop).
"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 as shooting began. "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."