Kevin Smith was 24 when Clerks, his film debut, was released — younger than even Orson Welles when he made Citizen Kane. His career has been a whirlwind, filled with peaks and valleys and challenges. He’s worked for big studios and gone fully, truly independent. He’s made movies and written comics and rebooted He-Man. He’s had a major health scare that turned him into a health-conscious vegan. And on the last day of the first half-century of his life — the day before he goes full circle by returning, once again, to his initial triumph — Smith was appropriately reflective and humble.
Grateful Undead: Today is my last day of being a 50 year old. I turn 51 tomorrow as we start shooting CLERKS III – a sequel to a movie I dreamed about making 30 years ago, when I saw Richard Linklater’s masterpiece SLACKER for the first time on the night on my 21st birthday.
pic.twitter.com/Cb81ohmksN
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) August 1, 2021
“Today is my last day of being 50. Tomorrow I turn 51 and we start shooting Clerks III,” Smith said in a video posted to Twitter Sunday morning. “It’s also another anniversary. Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the night I [saw Richard Linklater’s] Slacker and decided to become a filmmaker.”
He added, “It’s been an excellent first half century. Thank you all.”
Smith last revisited the world of Jersey’s Quick Stop convenience stores in 2006, with Clerks II, which brought back much of the original cast, as well as Rosario Dawson, Jason Lee, and Ben Affleck. He’s repeatedly returned to break-out side characters Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and himself, most recently with 2019’s Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. The threequel sounds like it will be semi-autobiographical, with Jeff Anderson’s Randall recovering from a heart attack, much as Smith himself did.
(Via EW)