Back in 1993, when Kevin Smith made the original Clerks, he couldn't have guessed he'd still be making movies (and TV shows and podcasts) nearly 30 years later. And to hear one of his self-deprecating jokes, some people wish he wasn't. We're certainly glad to see him still playing in the View Askewniverse, and the first trailer for Clerks III should slap a grin on the face of any dedicated Smith fan.
Going possibly more meta than even Jay And Silent Bob Reboot, this third Clerks finds us back at the Quick Stop, where Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) are still behind the counter and still complaining about their time working there.
Yet when Randal has a heart attack, he decides to re-evaluate his life and make a movie about his experiences and the blend of oddballs, weirdos, drug dealers and slackers who routinely stop by.
Blending his own near-death heart attack scare with the movie that kicked off his career, Smith here references (and pokes fun at) plenty of Clerks lore. Naturally, he's back on screen with Jason Mewes as one half of veteran nuisance duo Jay and Silent Bob and there is even a deep cut nods to the deleted original ending that saw Dante shot during a late-night robbery.
The likes of Rosario Dawson's Becky and Trevor Fehrman's Elias from Clerks II are also here., while beyond Clerks, there are a few Smith regulars, including cameos from Ben Affleck and Justin Long.
Clerks III is set for a two-night release schedule in the States via Fathom Events, but there's no official word on a UK date yet.