Director Kevin Smith Confirms ‘Clerks III’ (If Randal Is Down)

Kevin Smith just announced that Clerks III will be his final film (so long as Jeff Anderson signs on).

Smith started his directing career with Clerks, an independent black and white comedy shot in a convenience store that he himself worked in for less than $30,000. The film was a surprise critical hit, and Smith followed up with other films set in his “View Askewniverse” before releasing Clerks II in 2006.

Smith latest film project was set to be a two-part hockey film called Hit Somebody, based on the song of the same name by Warren Zevon.

Smith announced at the Sundance premiere of his independent exploitation-horror film Red State that HitSomebody would be his final film.

Explaining his reasons for film retirement, Smith said “I don’t have the same passion for it I used to. I don’t have any stories left to tell.” Smith also said that he considers himself a writer more than a director, and that Harvey Weinstein was instrumental in propping up his film career because “my films were never strong enough to stand up on their own.”

However, in December, Smith announced that Hit Somebody would instead be produced as a mini-series, and has apparently decided to develop Clerks III as his final film, bringing his career as a director full-circle.

So with the HIT SOMEBODY shift, the minute Jeff Anderson signs on, my last cinematic effort as a writer/director will be CLERKS III.#TaDa

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) December 7, 2012

Jeff Anderson played Randal Graves in Clerks and Clerks II. He previously said that Clerks II would be his final performance as the foul-mouthed character, but maybe Smith thinks he can talk him into a third film.

So Clerks III will apparently be Kevin Smith’s final film. Looking forward to it?