When Kevin Smith was doing the promotion for his 2006 comedy Clerks II, he stated that the film would probably be the last one he would direct set in his View Askewniverse – a fictionalized version of New Jersey that is a shared setting for many of his films. Of course, he has said that before, so it should come as no surprise that he has already hinted that he may return yet again to the world of convenience store counter jockeys Dante and Randall.
In response to a questioned posed to him on Twitter, Smith stated that he is contemplating a third Clerks film, but it probably wouldn’t happen until “My mid-to-late 40’s, if we’re all still alive.” As Smith is currently 39, I guess we can expect Clerks III somewhere around 2015 or so.
Hopefully this won’t remain just a pipe dream and Smith will follow through on this. His debut film, the first Clerks, captured the restlessness of many of us in our mid-20s in the early 1990s, while 2006’s Clerks II managed to address the issue of coming to grips with adulthood responsibility that people in their 30s were grappling with. And after getting to know the characters of Dante and Randall over the course of two films, I can definitely see potential in exploring what happens to their friendship following the place that Smith leaves them at the end of Clerks II.
Furthermore, I would welcome Smith turning his Clerks films into a fictionalized version of Michael Apted’s Seven Up! documentary series, examining the various issues that those of his generation face as they grow older through the eyes of slackers Dante and Randall. Many filmmakers have made personal films early in their career that explored the concerns of their generation. However, as they became successful their films moved away from such examination, as if their generation remained stagnate and their was nothing else to say. I think it would be interesting for Smith to revisit his roots every now and then to examine the concerns of his contemporaries. With dick and fart jokes.
