Kevin Smith and Lionsgate have finally released the trailer for Clerks 3 after Smith teased and raved about the trailer in May of this year. The trailer features Randall (Jeff Anderson), suffering a massive heart attack and lamenting that his whole life has been nothing but watching the same movies over and over. When his friend and co-worker Dante (Brian O’Halleran) tells him, “I always thought you could have made a cool movie,” Randall is immediately inspired to make a movie about his life working at the Quick Stop. This section is immediately followed by loads of self-referential humor, making for a real homage to Smith’s 90s cult classic.
Kevin Smith Pokes Fun at Himself and Others in ‘Clerks 3’ Trailer
While Clerks 3 is a sequel film to the previous two movies, it’s clear from the trailer that Smith is really paying homage to the film that put him on the map while he simultaneously pokes fun at himself and the cast. For example, we see a nod to Dante’s most repeated line in the original film, “I’m not even supposed to be here today,” read by famous celebrities (Fred Armisen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ben Affleck) auditioning for roles. There’s also a moment where the pop culture icons Jay and Silent Bob, the latter of whom is played by Smith himself, are compared to C-3PO and R2-D2 in not-so-favorable ways. This is also a nod to Randall’s heavy obsession with Star Wars. Smith is also not afraid to make fun of himself when Randall says making a sequel would make him a “hack.”
Smith is also clearly basing Randall’s filmmaking efforts loosely on his own life, as Smith himself suffered a near-fatal heart attack in 2018. Following the doctor’s orders, Smith lost 50 pounds in under four months to reduce his chances of a second heart attack. With Clerks 3 coming out this year and a follow-up to his series Masters of the Universe: Revolution having been announced recently, it’s clear Smith has no intentions of slowing down.
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Clerks 3 will be released in theaters for only two nights, specifically Sept. 13 and Sept. 15.
What do you think of the trailer for Clerks 3 from Kevin Smith? Are you excited to see it? Share your thoughts in the comments on The Nerd Stash on Facebook and @TheNerdStash on Twitter.
