Lionsgate picks up Kevin Smith's 'Clerks 3'
Jul 20, 2021
Washington [US], July 20 : American filmmaker Kevin Smith's 'Clerks 3' has finally landed at Lionsgate, as the company has picked up the worldwide rights for the sequel film to the indie cult classic.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith, who is helming the project, has written the film's script and previous cast members including Jeff Anderson as Randal, Brian O'Halloran as Dante, Jay Mewes as Jay, Smith as Silent Bob, and Rosario Dawson as Becky, will be making their return.
'Clerks 3' is currently in the pre-production stage in New Jersey and will begin production in August, with Liz Destro and Jordan Monsanto producing it.
In the sequel, following a massive heart attack Randal enlists fellow clerks Dante, Elias, Jay and Silent Bob to make a movie immortalizing his life at the convenience store that started it all.
Thanking Lionsgate for picking up the film, in a statement, Smith said, "There's a saying from the Tao that goes something like 'To be great is to go on. To go on is to go far. To go far is to return.' Thanks to Lionsgate, we get to return to where it all started with almost the whole cast that started it all."
'Clerks', which was Smith's breakout film released in 1994. The sequel, 'Clerks 2', arrived in theatres in 2006 and grossed USD 24 million in the U.S. Finding the financing for 'Clerks 3' took years and for the first time the latest sequel will be shot entirely on location in New Jersey.
Eda Kowan, executive VP of acquisitions and co-productions for Lionsgate, added in a statement, "The Clerks movies are audience favourites and many of Kevin's films, like Dogma, Red State, and the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot are a beloved part of our library that continues to delight Kevin's devoted fans. We're thrilled to be presenting the next chapter in the Clerks saga to moviegoers worldwide."
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Kowan acquired the project and will be overseeing the film for Lionsgate. Kowan, Grace Duplissea and Kaycee Holcomb negotiated the deal for Lionsgate. On behalf of Smith and the producers, Destro and Jackie Eckhouse at Sloss Law negotiated the deal.
