Clerks 3: Kevin Smith marks 51st birthday by starting shoot

Kevin Smith will be celebrating his 51st birthday by starting the filming of Clerks 3. The writer-director announced the news in a Twitter video on Sunday.

Smith shared the news in a tweet and added the day also marked the 30th anniversary of him seeing Richard Linklater’s Slacker, a movie that more or less kickstarted the independent film moment and also inspired Smith to make Clerks.

The original Clerks movie was released in 1994. Written and directed by Smith, the movie follows Dante and Randal, friends who work at a Quick Stop convenience store. Clerks was made with a budget of around $25,000 and grossed over $3 million after its release. Shot in the convenience and video stores Smith worked in, the movie is considered a staple of independent filmmaking. 

While the movie launched Smith’s filmmaking career, the movie became a landmark for its humble production values while aptly representing indolent Gen-Xers of the time. Smith sold most of his comic book collection, maxed out multiple credit cards and used the insurance money he got from losing his car in the flood to fund the movie.

After the success of Clerks and his newfound space as a director, Smith built View Askewniverse, his cinematic universe with follow up movies like Mallrats and Chasing Amy.

Smith followed up on the original Clerks movie with Clerks II, with Dante and Randal working at a fast-food restaurant, after Randal accidentally burned down the Quick Stop store. Much like the original, the sequel was well received by the audience and received positive reviews. 

Clerks featured Brian O’Halloran as Dante, Jeff Anderson as Randal, Marilyn Ghigliotti and Lisa Spoonauer among others. Smith also made appearances in the movie as Silent Bob, which would later become a signature character.