Kevin Smith Already Working On Clerks 4?
Kevin Smith has alluded to the idea that he doesn't want to stop making films and that Clerks 4 could be in play someday.
Clerks II was released in theaters way back in 2006, and although the sequel was a box office hit, grossing $27 million worldwide on a $5 million dollar budget, filmmaker Kevin Smith had to overcome plenty of obstacles when it came to getting Clerks III in front of audiences. He wrote the screenplay for the third installment in 2013, and the plan was to begin shooting the movie in 2015. Unfortunately, Smith ran into a string of complications including a near-fatal heart attack, a scare that inspired him to rewrite the script for Clerks III from scratch. Now, after numerous delays, the anticipated third entry will finally premiere in theaters this month.
Even though he struggled for years to get Clerks III off the ground, Kevin Smith is already teasing the possibility of Clerks 4. Although there are no immediate plans for a fourth installment at this time, the director has said that he has no intention of ever retiring from filmmaking. “As long as I’m alive, there’s a chance there’s another Clerks coming,” he told Yahoo!.
Principal photography for Clerks III began August 2nd, 2021, in Red Bank, New Jersey, and post-production was completed on February 13th, 2022. The sequel was originally scheduled for release in July 2022, but it will now release September 13th, 2022 by Lionsgate and Fathom Events. According to MovieWeb, the film will screen in theaters for six days. It will likely arrive on VOD shortly after. Per the movie’s official website, Kevin Smith will be hitting the road for The Convenience Tour, which will accompany the release of Clerks III.
In Clerks III, which is directed by Kevin Smith, Dante, Elias, and Jay and Silent Bob are enlisted by Randal after a heart attack to make a film about the convenience store that started it all. Smith has compared this entry in his series to The Empire Strikes Back of the Star Wars franchise. The film stars Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, and Marilyn Ghigliotti.
Clerks III had its premiere on September 4th, 2022 in Red Bank, where Kevin Smith was born and raised. Although it wasn’t as well received as the first film, it still holds a respectable 68% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. 1994’s Clerks sits with an impressive 90% fresh rating from critics and an 89% audience score.
Directed by Kevin Smith, Clerks was released in theaters by Miramax in the mid-90s. The black and white comedy grossed a mere $3.1 million worldwide from an estimated $35 million budget. While it wasn’t initially a success, the film has become a cult classic, having garnered a dedicated following over the years. Several actors from the movie will be reprising their roles in Clerks III including Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, Brian O’Halloran, and Marilyn Ghigliotti.
Clerks 4 may just be a possibility at this time, but another quirky flick from Kevin Smith has been confirmed to be getting a sequel. Actor Justin Long teased that a potential follow-up to the 2014 horror-comedy Tusk was coming soon, and director Kevin Smith confirmed shortly after that Tusk 2 was indeed on the way. He plans to bring the film to theaters for the 10th anniversary of Tusk in 2024. With all the trouble the filmmaker faced in getting Clerks III made, we’re not holding our breath that the sequel will hit the director’s targeted release date. Still, it’s refreshing to see Smith staying so active, particularly after his brush with death in 2018.
