Kevin Smith's long-awaited Clerks 3 won't have a major advantage that his Jay and Silent Bob Reboot had, but that will end up being a good thing for the veteran director. Clerks 3 has been in the works for several years, with many hoping for it since the most recent Clerks film came out in 2006. In January 2021, Smith revealed the script was finished, and filming on the highly-anticipated movie began in August.
Like all directors, Smith has a signature style, and many of his films feature cameos from big stars. It's always fun to see popular actors pop up in Smith's Jay & Silent Bob movies especially; Justin Long, Chris Jericho, Val Kilmer, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Molly Shannon are just a few of the cameos in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. In fact, that movie was sold on those and similar appearances, as the trailer was essentially a contest to see how many "look who it is!" moments could be packed into two minutes and 23 seconds.
Compare that to the original trailer for Clerks 2, which is much more focused on story and giving the viewer a peek into some of the film's humor, and it becomes clear that, with Clerks 3 operating in a more grounded, character-focused universe, the huge cameos which made such a splash in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot won't be available this time around. But while looking through Smith's eclectic filmography, the director's best and most resonating films have come when he's been able to focus more on his character-driven narratives and less on fitting in familiar faces.
Films like Clerks, Chasing Amy, and Mallrats have the longevity that Smith's more bombastic movies don't. The director's best work stems from his ability to write comedic character interactions that feel real, while also having that sense of stoner comedy that miraculously appeals to more than just stoners. The running gag in Mallrats about the Magic Eye poster is one of the most memorable parts of the movie, successfully walking the line between comedy and absurdity. Smith's writing is expected to be even more focused in Clerks 3. In an interview with SyFy Wire during the writing process, Smith said the movie hits "incredibly close to home" and is both "heartwarming" and "life-affirming."
And that should make fans of the View Askewniverse extremely optimistic. Even though the film likely won't have the star-studded moments that Jay and Silent Bob Reboot had, the end result should justify the smaller scale. Smith has already confirmed going back to his black and white roots (in addition to color) for Clerks 3, and his excitement for the project has been palpable for some time. Smith is a director whose best work comes when he's toeing that sentimental line, and considering all of the history with Clerks and his career to this point, Clerks 3 feels like the perfect opportunity for the New Jersey native to create another movie that will stand the test of time.