Kevin Smith Completes Clerks III Script

Kevin Smith has completed the script for Clerks III. Or at least the first draft anyway. Earlier today, Kevin Smith announced via his Facebook page, "IT IS ACCOMPLISHED! CLERKS III, FIRST DRAFT! At 137 pages, it plays like THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK of what's now become the Clerks Trilogy. And I am SO in love with it. Pictured is the script with the clapboard we used on the original CLERKS. Both the old clapboard and the old filmmaker are ready to go back to Jersey for the last time..." At one point, Kevin Smith had indicated that he might do Clerks III as a book before doing a movie, because Jeff Anderson hadn't signed on to return as Randal in a movie. However, Smith eventually decided to go with working on the movie script first and at last report is trying to talk Jeff Anderson into reprising his role as Randal. Kevin Smith also briefly considered funding Clerks III through Kickstarter, but he has since decided that he's going to try to self-fund Clerks III if possible. Kevin Smith said, " Unlike back when I made CLERKS in '91, I've GOT access to money now – so I should use that money and not suck any loot out of the crowd-funding marketplace that might otherwise go to some first-timer who can really use it. So if I can get away with it, I'm gonna try to pay for CLERKS III myself. As much as I love the crowd-funding model (and almost did it myself in early 2009 with RedStateGreen.com), that's an advancement in indie film that belongs to the next generation of artists. I started on my own dime, and if I'm allowed, I should finish on my own dime." While an official release date for Clerks III has not been announced, Kevin Smith hopes to release the film in 2014 to tie into the 20th anniversary of the release of the first Clerks movie.