The long-awaited Clerks III is finally nearing release, and it'll see the return of almost every character in the Clerks series. The movie comes 16 years after the first sequel and 28 years after the original Clerks, making it one of the longest-awaited comedy sequels of all time, and it's shaping up to be one of the best legacy sequels too.
However, the film has been in development for what seems like forever, and if writer-director Kevin Smith had his way, it would have been made a long time ago. Having spent so much time in development, there's an unsurprising amount of exciting behind-closed-doors stories. Between being shelved in favor of a much worse movie and having more VFX shots than the biggest sci-fi series of all time, these hyperbolic facts are so on-brand for Smith.
It Was Shelved In Favor Of Making Tusk
While his movies might be divisive, Smith is undisputedly one of the most prolific filmmakers working today, and his excessive output leaned into surreal horror in the 2010s. One of those movies is Tusk, a movie about a man who turns into a walrus. It's completely unsettling, and though fans of the director might not love it, it at least shows that Smith has more range as a filmmaker than he's given credit for.
But fans will like the film even less when they find out that Clerks III was put on hold to make the 2014 horror flick. According to Rosario Dawson, one of the 2022 comedy stars, Smith shelved Clerks III, so he could direct Tusk instead. Given that Tusk is one of Smith's least watchable movies, it might have been the biggest mistake of his career.
Where Boston John's Name Came From
Ben Affleck shows up in almost all of Smith's movies in some capacity, whether it's as the lead actor in Jersey Girl or a cameo in Jay & Silent Bob Reboot. And he'll be returning for another cameo in the upcoming comedy as the character Boston John. While it isn't a major role, the character's name has a hilarious origin story.
Years ago when Smith was active on the View Askew fan forum, Affleck found it hilarious that the director was letting fans tell him how to make his movies, specifically pointing out one user that went by the name Boston John. On top of that, Smith gave some sage advice about why he spent so much time listening to the forum users, explaining, "Never mind what a critic says. This is the person that paid to see the movie."
Smith's Heart Attack Impacted The Film
Smith mentioned that his heart attack helped him get the film made, explaining, "Before the heart attack, people were like, 'We don't give a f***.' After the heart attack, I was like, 'I want to do Clerks III,' and they were like, 'Give him what he wants. He's about to die at any minute.'" The movie is even about Randy suffering a heart attack and then making a movie.
However, the writer is coming dangerously close to repeating the same jokes. Smith joked several times during press junkets for Jay & Silent Bob Reboot that he guilt-tripped his actor friends into featuring in the movie with his heart attack. The director even appeared in the movie joking about exactly that. Now he has made a whole movie around it, but as the Clerks series is more grounded than Jay & Silent Bob, there'll surely be enough entertaining ideas to keep it fresh.
The Original Script Was Much Different
Though Smith shelved the Clerks III screenplay to work on a much inferior film, that may have been a blessing in disguise, as the original story was much different from the final draft. The director admitted that the original treatment for the threequel was "so far-flung from Clerks," as it followed Randy falling into depression after Hurricane Sandy had destroyed his home.
However, the new story isn't exactly in keeping with the first two movies either. The first two were essentially pointless movies about people hanging out, whereas Clerks III is about Randy making a movie after feeling like he hasn't done anything with his life. While there's nothing wrong with the premise and it plays into Randy's obsession with movies, any kind of narrative at all is very un-Clerks.
It Originally Wasn't Going To Be Set At The Quick Stop
Not only did the original script have a completely different narrative, but it wasn't set at the Quick Stop either. The director explained that the original version didn't take place at the iconic Quick Stop either. Smith commented, "The structure of it was completely f****** different. It didn't take place at a Quick Stop at all; it took place outside of a movie theater the entire time. So, this wound up being a lot closer to what it needed to be."
Granted, Clerks II wasn't set at the Quick Stop, but it at least featured at the beginning of the film being set ablaze. And the rest of the movie followed the same formula and was set completely in one location, Mooby's, where Dante and Randy served obnoxious customers. However, it's easy to imagine a movie-theatre-based Clerks film that sees Dante and Randy arguing about a movie for 90 minutes too.
The Only Reason It Was Greenlit Was Because Lionsgate Sold Tons Of Jay & Silent Bob Reboot DVDs
With so many different streaming platforms and almost every movie imaginable being just a couple of clicks or taps away, a lot of movie pundits have argued that physical media is dead. But based on DVD and Blu-ray sales of Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, it still has a lot of life left in it.
Smith claims that the amount of money Lionsgate made from physical sales of the 2019 movie is what made the studio greenlight Clerks III. In true colorful fashion, Smith explained that the studio executives told him, "We sold so many f****** DVDs and Blu-rays that if you ever want to make more of this Jay and Silent Bob bulls***, as long as it's under this pricepoint, f*** it, have a go at it and s***."
Shots From The Original Movie Were Created In A Unique Way
While the trailer is full of callbacks to the original, Smith completely recreated shots of Dante and Randy in the Quick Stop that look completely uncanny except for the actors being older. Not only is it poetic that the two characters are at the same stage in their lives as they were 30 years ago, but it's also impressive from a filmmaking standpoint that the shots are identical.
But the way Smith recreated them was ad hoc. Smith simply loaded Clerks on HBO Max on his phone and held it against the monitor. The director explained, "We're like, 'Jeff, move in just a little bit more. Okay, turn your head this way. Alright, Bryan, now you're going to slide in and stop right there. Don't forget to put the Yoohoo down here.'"
It Has More VFX Shots Than Star Wars
While the cheap look and black-and-white cinematography of the original are all part of the appeal, Clerks is ultimately a great movie with poor production value. But based on his latest bold statement, Smith has come a long way since then. The filmmaker has always been hyperbolic when talking about any movie, and this might be one of those times. But regardless of how exaggerated it is, the director claims the threequel has more VFX shots than Star Wars.
However, there is some weight to his statement, as even though general audiences would never know, most shots in every single movie are digitally altered to some extent these days. Smith explained, "We just spent half an hour going through about 20 shots that are going to have to be digitally altered, stuff like you have to remove a sign or there's a light in the background, minor s*** like that."
Smith's Wife And Daughter Don't Like The Movie
Smith's movies have always divided critics, and the negative reviewers don't hold back on what they don't like. However, he seemingly lives with his biggest critics, as the director claims that his wife and daughter hate the new movie.
But the reason why makes sense, as Smith essentially made a comedy movie about the darkest time in their lives, when they thought their husband/father was going to die of a heart attack. In typical Smith behavior, the director laughed it off, telling his wife, "Well, don't say that to the critics, for Christ's sakes! It's too easy a lay-up for them!"
Smith Finished The Screenplay While Self-Isolating
There wasn't much to do during the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone was quarantined, but it was a perfect time for writers to get creative, and that includes Smith. The filmmaker revealed that he had been working hard on the Clerks III screenplay while self-isolating, but that wasn't all.
More interestingly, the writer-director also finished writing Mallrats 2 too. Mallrats is many View Askew fans' favorite movie in the universe, and that'd mark a perfect finale to a trilogy of legacy sequels that started with the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot. Hopefully, Lionsgate sells enough Clerks III DVDs and Blu-rays that they'll greenlight Twilight of the Mallrats, which was the title that Smith posted to Facebook.