Clerks II

[Myxo]

Director Kevin Smith Plans 'Clerks' Sequel

LOS ANGELES - Kevin Smith is making another convenience store run.

The writer-director of "Dogma," "Chasing Amy" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" told the Associated Press on Friday that he has begun work on a sequel to "Clerks," his homemade indie classic from 1994.

That $27,000 movie, shot at night in a store where Smith worked, chronicled the adventures of Dante and Randal, two guys who talk about life, death, sex and movies while working at neighboring stores.

The sequel picks up 10 years later.

"It's about what happens when that lazy, 20-something malaise lasts into your 30s. Those dudes are kind of still mired, not in that same exact situation, but in a place where it's time to actually grow up and do something more than just sit around and dissect pop culture and talk about sex," Smith said during an interview at his Hollywood office. "It's: What happened to these dudes?"

A new 10th anniversary DVD of "Clerks" debuts Sept. 7, and Smith said working on that three-disc set inspired him to write about what became of those characters.

The sequel — titled "The Passion of the Clerks" — is set to begin shooting in January. Miramax Films, which turned the original into a cult-hit after buying it at the Sundance Film Festival (news - web sites), plans to distribute the follow-up.

"It's funny, it's very raw, insanely foul-mouthed. In many ways it's the antithesis of 'Jersey Girl,'" Smith said, referring to his recent PG-13 comedy with Ben Affleck (news) as the widowed father of a little girl.

Smith is also writing the screenplay for a movie version of "The Green Hornet," but no longer thinks he will direct it. The "Clerks" movie has moved to the top of his to-do list.

He said he called Jeff Anderson, who played the combative video-store worker Randal, and Brian O'Halloran, who was the besieged-by-strangeness convenience store employee Dante, to run the idea by them first.

"Jeff was actually very protective of 'Clerks,'" Smith said. "Jeff was like, 'Are you sure you want to do this? That movie means a lot to people and do you want to go back?' I thought about it honestly, and it would seem chicken to not give it a shot just because I'm afraid of (messing) with the first film."

So far, he said he has gotten only positive responses from the people who have read the script, so he decided to move forward with it. Both O'Halloran and Anderson are signed on, and Jason Mewes, will return as stoner Jay, the "hetero life-mate" of Smith's stoic Silent Bob.

"I'm sure there will be naysayers who say, 'Oh my God, it's an opportunistic grab at a buck,' but it's not. We're doing it for nothing," Smith said. "We're going to do it insanely inexpensively. The budget will be somewhere between 250 grand and $5 million."

The original was shot pre-dawn, and most of the actors worked for free and then went straight to their day-jobs with little or no sleep.

"This time around we'll afford ourselves the luxury of nice 12-hour days," Smith said. "And people can get paid."

[grand theft sparrow]

"Jeff was like, 'Are you sure you want to do this? That movie means a lot to people and do you want to go back?' I thought about it honestly, and it would seem chicken to not give it a shot just because I'm afraid of (messing) with the first film."

I heard he tweaked the end of the Sundance cut of Clerks so that Dante shoots first.

[nix]

Part of me finds this very sad. He said he was done with the whole viewaskewniverse and all it takes is one failed attempt at a "regular" movie to send him back into his pop culture cave.

But part of me is still sorta excited. Maybe that is the best place for him.

All of me thinks that The Passion of the Clerks is just about the worst title ever.

[Myxo]

Horrible title.. Just terrible..

[cine]

Well not to defend them, but just so you know, Smith is just trying to bank off a famous movie... despite his "it's not an opportunistic grab at a buck" BS.

[SHAFTR]

I used to be a huge Kevin Smith fan.  But career move after move he makes (including film after film); I just start losing more and more respect.

[Just Withnail]

He'll probably change the title the very minute he gets word that the public doesn't like it. nix called it sad, I'll call this one pathetic.

I should've patented redirect proof posting

[Film Student]

Kevin Smith movies remind me of Nirvana... A staple of the 90's, highly overrated, but a definite mile-marker in a teenage boy's discovery of pop culture.  

I just wish he would've stopped making movies after Chasing Amy (which you could call his In Utero).

[modage]

i guess by that rationale, i'm glad that kurt cobain is dead.

[Film Student]

i guess by that rationale, i'm glad that kurt cobain is dead.

Exactly.

[Myxo]

I for one am not glad he is dead. I believe he was an awefully talented man who had some real problems with lonliness and depression. On a personal level I relate to him quite a bit and I loved his music.

[Ghostboy]

"The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long..."

Anyway, whatever Nix said up there is exactly how I feel about this project.

[coffeebeetle]

I'm not sure I even want to see this.  I think he should leave Clerks alone and barring that, get rid of that title.  But I'll probably end up seeing it in much the same manner that I slow down to catch a glimpse of a horrific car crash on the highway.    

[picolas]

I'm sure I not even want to see this.

[cron]

He should stop pretending he's an acclaimed intelligent filmmaker, first and foremost.