See The Return Of The Best Kevin Smith Characters In New Clerks 3 Trailer
At long last, the world has been treated with the trailer for Clerks 3, written and directed by Kevin Smith. And he has brought back some of the best characters.
The boys from the Quick Stop are back, except now, they’re middle-aged men with health conditions. Kevin Smith just dropped the trailer for Clerks 3, and most of the crew from the classic 1994 indie film is returning. Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) are still working the cash register at the Quick Stop, still playing hockey on the roof, and still assuring people that they are indeed open. The pair haven’t exactly aged gracefully, and when Randal has a heart attack, he begins to reassess his life, setting him on a quest to make a movie. Clerks 3 is getting a limited theatrical release on September 13 and 15, with tickets now available to order.
According to ComicBook.com, joining Dante and Randall are more familiar faces from the Kevin Smith View Askewniverse (the name given to his shared universe of Clerks-inspired films), including Becky (Rosario Dawson, fresh from her role as Star Wars’ Ahsoka Tano) and Elias (Trevor Fehrman). Of course, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) are on board for Clerks 3, fresh from their appearance in the 2019 Clerks spinoff Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. In that film, only O’Halloran’s Dante appeared in a brief cameo, leaving fans wondering where things stood at the New Jersey convenience store. Of particular note is the return of Marilyn Ghigliotti for the new film, who played Dante’s girlfriend Veronica in the original Clerks, but has not appeared in any of Smith’s films since.
Kevin Smith is bringing a bit of his real life to the film, using his own personal health scare as an inspiration for the plot. In February of 2018, Smith suffered a near-fatal heart attack after an on-stage performance in Glendale, California. Smith later said doctors credited his use of weed to keep him calm enough to survive the heart attack, which had blocked 100% of blood flow to the heart. He went vegan, lost over 50 pounds, and is healthier than he has ever been, despite a recent COVID-19 infection. The experience seemed to inspire him to revisit his Clerks characters, with Clerks 3 just the latest movie in the series.
The original Clerks was released in 1994 after Kevin Smith made the film on his own for less than $28,000 and Bob Weinstein’s Miramax purchased the distribution rights. It made Smith an indie movie darling in the media and set him on a path to making both independent and mainstream studio flicks. Clerks 2 was released in 2006, with a much bigger budget and the original cast returning to reprise their roles. Clerks 3 comes to theaters 28 years after the first, this time with a new distributor, Lionsgate, who released Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. In the years since the release of the original film, Smith has expanded the View Askewniverse with movies including Mallrats (1995) and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). Smith has already announced that a Mallrats sequel, Twilight of the Mallrats, is in pre-production, with the entire cast set to return, including retired actor Jason Lee. Among Smith’s other films are Jersey Girl, Chasing Amy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Cop Out, Tusk, and Red State. He’s also directed episodes of The Flash and Supergirl for the CW.
