Kevin Smith Confirms Clerks 3 Is Moving Forward With Original Cast

It’s official: Kevin Smith is getting the gang back together for Clerks 3.

Two weeks out from the arrival of the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot – another one of Smith’s cult favorites from yesteryear – and the prolific writer-director has taken to Instagram to officially confirm that, yes, Clerks 3 is in the works with the original cast members (namely Jay Mewes and Jeff Anderson) returning to the limelight.

Gone is the previous script from three years ago and in its place is a totally reworked story, one which Smith describes as a fitting conclusion to the saga – think Empire Strikes Back, only with fewer droids. It’s still in the process of being fine-tuned, meaning it’s unclear as yet when Clerks 3 will be ready for theaters.

Be that as it may, considering the idea for Clerks 3 has been kicking around since as far back as 2013, today’s news will serve as vindication for Smith and Co., who have clearly wanted to make a third movie for a very long time. And, well, it seems the stars have aligned.

In Smith’s own words:

Thanks to the good folks at @leeloomultiprops, I got to see Randal! #JeffAnderson, @jaymewes, and I spent Saturday signing stuff and catching up, seeing so much movie merch that’s been made over the last 25 years (hit the Leloo site for sweet signed skateboards)! 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 @briancohalloran, with me and Jay in supporting roles. And it’ll be a movie called CLERKS III!”

For Smith, that means calling the shots from behind the lens, as Quick Stop clerks Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) go about their business in the most hilarious way. Surely we can expect a cameo of some sorts from Silent Bob as well, right? Time will tell.

For now, here’s the remainder of Smith’s Instagram post, which was dripping with excitement.

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 means I’m gonna get to play with my two favorite inaction figures again: Dante & Randal! Two weeks from the debut of @jayandsilentbob Reboot… I’m ecstatic to announce our imminent return to Quick Stop! So I assure you: we’re open!

Hollywood’s Quick Stop has reopened for business thanks to Clerks 3, though it’s unclear as yet when Smith’s long-in-development threequel will be ready for the big stage. More on this project as it begins to coalesce.