Clerks .... the sequel

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by b&w, Aug 29, 2004.

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  1. b&w

    b&w Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Clerks .... the sequal

    Well see if this really happens...

    http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...=6&u=/ap/20040828/ap_en_mo/film_clerks_sequel

    Director Kevin Smith Plans 'Clerks' Sequel

    Fri Aug 27, 8:10 PM ET


    By ANTHONY BREZNICAN, AP Entertainment Writer

    LOS ANGELES - Kevin Smith is making another convenience store run.

    The writer-director of "Dogma," "Chasing Amy" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" told the Associated Press on Friday that he has begun work on a sequel to "Clerks," his homemade indie classic from 1994.

    That $27,000 movie, shot at night in a store where Smith worked, chronicled the adventures of Dante and Randal, two guys who talk about life, death, sex and movies while working at neighboring stores.

    The sequel picks up 10 years later.

    "It's about what happens when that lazy, 20-something malaise lasts into your 30s. Those dudes are kind of still mired, not in that same exact situation, but in a place where it's time to actually grow up and do something more than just sit around and dissect pop culture and talk about sex," Smith said during an interview at his Hollywood office. "It's: What happened to these dudes?"

    A new 10th anniversary DVD of "Clerks" debuts Sept. 7, and Smith said working on that three-disc set inspired him to write about what became of those characters.

    The sequel — titled "The Passion of the Clerks" — is set to begin shooting in January. Miramax Films, which turned the original into a cult-hit after buying it at the Sundance Film Festival (news - web sites), plans to distribute the follow-up.

    "It's funny, it's very raw, insanely foul-mouthed. In many ways it's the antithesis of 'Jersey Girl,'" Smith said, referring to his recent PG-13 comedy with Ben Affleck (news) as the widowed father of a little girl.

    Smith is also writing the screenplay for a movie version of "The Green Hornet," but no longer thinks he will direct it. The "Clerks" movie has moved to the top of his to-do list.

    He said he called Jeff Anderson, who played the combative video-store worker Randal, and Brian O'Halloran, who was the besieged-by-strangeness convenience store employee Dante, to run the idea by them first.

    "Jeff was actually very protective of 'Clerks,'" Smith said. "Jeff was like, 'Are you sure you want to do this? That movie means a lot to people and do you want to go back?' I thought about it honestly, and it would seem chicken to not give it a shot just because I'm afraid of (messing) with the first film."

    So far, he said he has gotten only positive responses from the people who have read the script, so he decided to move forward with it. Both O'Halloran and Anderson are signed on, and Jason Mewes, will return as stoner Jay, the "hetero life-mate" of Smith's stoic Silent Bob.

    "I'm sure there will be naysayers who say, 'Oh my God, it's an opportunistic grab at a buck,' but it's not. We're doing it for nothing," Smith said. "We're going to do it insanely inexpensively. The budget will be somewhere between 250 grand and $5 million."

    The original was shot pre-dawn, and most of the actors worked for free and then went straight to their day-jobs with little or no sleep.

    "This time around we'll afford ourselves the luxury of nice 12-hour days," Smith said. "And people can get paid."

    ___
     
  2. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    Part of me is looking forward to this, part of me kind of says, "I hope he knows what he's doing." We'll see.
     
  3. Paul K

    Paul K Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    He knows what he is doing friend. Definitely. Know people around him and he is quite on it.
     
  4. John Carsell

    John Carsell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northwest Illinois
    I say bring it on!
     
  5. b&w

    b&w Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Well regardless of his capabilities and intentions, revisiting characters and a movie universe that is highly thought of and hell revered is always dangerous no matter how capable the director.
     
  6. Captain Groovy

    Captain Groovy Senior Member

    Location:
    Freedonia, USA
    This is brave. Woody Allen has actually entertained the idea of making a sequel to "Annie Hall" for years - revisiting those characters. He's mentioned it a few times, but never did it.

    Making a sequel would be gutsy. Gotta shoot in in B&W and have the same feel, I think as the original "Clerks."

    JEFF!
     
  7. Evan L

    Evan L Beatologist

    Location:
    Vermont
    This is funny, because he said he had no intentions of revisiting the "Askewniverse"(where the first five Smith films took place). I bet the savaging of "Jersey Girl" made him change his mind. I think this is cool, he'd been planning it for five years ago. And of course, no matter when it takes place, you Dante "isn't supposed to be here today!"


    Evan
     
  8. LtPepper

    LtPepper Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Weird, I just saw this movie for the first time last week. I have mixed feelings about a sequel for a movie so long after the original. We'll have to see. If it's good, great, but if it's not, it only tarnishes the original.
     
  9. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    Well, Smith has never stopped working with these characters, and I liked The Flying Car short film, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

    My only real disappointment is that he hasn't followed up on the promised Clerks: The Animated Series sequels. Even more than the movie itself, those cartoons are a staple in our house.
     
  10. Wufnpoof

    Wufnpoof Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    I'ts nice this film has such devotees, but I don't see how even a poor sequel would affect the quality of the original (does Godfather III lessen the value of "The Godfather"?)

    I recently saw Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise" on DVD, because I want to see the new film, "Before Sunset." I've heard the second film, which features the same two characters nine years later, is also very good, but even if it is disappointing I think the first film will remain a favorite for me. (I'm mentioning this film in particular because the best work of both directors is largely driven by conversation, and their careers are pretty much contemporary with each other, but from the first post in this thread I think the "sequel" issue may play out differently.)
     
  11. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    Smith posts some info on his web site:
    http://www.newsaskew.com/

    - This isn't gonna be a cameo-heavy affair, a'la "Strike Back." The only returning characters are Dante and Randal, and Jay and Silent Bob.

    - This isn't gonna be a star-studded affair. The biggest names in the cast are gonna be Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, and Jason Mewes.

    - This isn't an "I'm not even supposed to be here today... AGAIN!"-heavy, wink-wink affair. We barely refer to the first flick (though I do love Lynch's proposed tagline of "They Still Don't Like You"; considering the tone of the script, an even more appropriate tagline would be "They Like You Even Less").

    - Jay and Silent Bob have about as much screen time as they had in "Clerks." This is Dante and Randal's flick all the way.

    - The title makes sense. Sure, there's a bit of cheekiness in there, but it's pretty appropriate, based on the material.

    - This is the funniest thing I've ever written. It's also really poignant.

    - We'll still be making a "Clerks" cartoon movie, separate of this.

    - This is not a grab at the green. Saying so is kinda laughable, if you're privy to what I make per film now, vs. what I'll make for this film. Part of the idea about doing "Passion" is to strip away the trappings of success we've been enjoying for the last few years, in an effort to get to the raw and pure. None of us are making our usual salaries on this flick; we're all doing it favored-nations style, with deferments. If the flick does well, we'll get paid our full-freight on the back-end. If not, we did it for the love. But if I was "all about the green", I'd be gearing up for "Hornet" or "Fletch" instead. This one's about the passion; the passion of the "Clerks."

    - Some of the key players from the "Clerks" saga who've already read the 143 page first draft: Mos, Jeff, Brian, John Pierson, Bob Hawk. Jay's reading the new, refined 119 page second draft this week. Once they were all on board, any doubt or hesitation I might've felt about monkeying with the original's legacy disappeared completely.

    - This isn't about "Jersey Girl." While disappointed that we didn't do double the theatrical business we crawled to, I understand why what happened to that flick happened (considering how poorly "Gigli" did, I consider us kinda lucky that we got to 25m). If this is a reaction to anything, it's more of a reaction to "Green Hornet", and the trajectory my budgets have been taking lately. Before (and if) I direct "Hornet", I wanted to do something small and more me-like. While working on the "Clerks X" dvd, it became clear to me that "Passion" was the way to go.

    - We almost did this flick three years ago, instead of "Strike Back." I'm glad we didn't, because I was able to say much more now than I would've then.

    - There are gonna be lots of folks expressing disappointment or downright hostility with the idea of this movie. Let 'em vent. If it's all that bad, Xtian will just sweep it off the board. But the last thing I'm interested in is opinions on what I'm doing this early in the process, if at all. The beauty of making that first flick was being able to do it in a vacuum. Granted, I could've kept my mouth shut about it 'til we were done shooting; but with "Clerks X" coming out, it just felt right to share. Regardless - I don't want folks running here with reports of what's being said about the idea of this film at other boards. Don't waste your/my time with the braying of the jacka**es. There's not even a movie to bray about yet. Once there is, if you still still feel the need to tell me what some random, knuckle-headed Talk Backer has to say about the finished product, then God bless. But until then, leave it in the locker room.

    - Oh, who am I kidding? This flick makes me so happy, I'm not even bothered by the b****ing (could still be even happier without it, though). I'm in love with this flick. If other folks aren't, I can't really say I'm concerned. I've read the script; they haven't. I have the benefit of insight into the flick beyond the title and the notion of it; they don't. The reaction is pretty much what I thought it'd be: a ton of positive, and minimal amount of b****ing. Even if the equation was reversed, I'd still feel as good as I do now.

    - At this point in my life, this flick makes absolute f***ing sense.

    - I can't wait to shoot it, and I can't wait 'til you all see it.

    - That storyline about Dante and Randal shooting a movie about working at the Quick Stop is the plot of the "Clerks" CARTOON movie. It's secure. The plot of "PotC" is something completely different.

    - The flick does NOT employ the tone of the "Clerks" cartoon. It's OG "Clerks" all the way.

    - The flick's in both black & white and color.

    - Having not seen "South Park" since season two (unless you count the movie), I was unaware they did an episode called "The Passion of the Jew." I don't know how (or if) this info will affect our title.

    - There will be no "reunions" or "crossovers" in the flick. Again - the only characters returning are Dante, Randal, Jay, and Bob.
     
  12. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    I hear his wife made him cut it! ;)
     
  13. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    And Kevin Smith!

    I don't like the title - it's already dated. Heck, "South Park" parodied the title within weeks of "PotC" hitting screens, so it's already old news...
     
  14. b&w

    b&w Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Now in my opinion this bodes well for the film. At least he's making the film to please himself only. We don't have to worry about having his vision diluted or rewritten by committee to pump up the laughs after it test badly, etc etc.
     
  15. crimsoncing

    crimsoncing New Member

    Location:
    virginia beach
    I am holding my breath on this one but I trust Kevin...For those of you who have not seen this DVD, you need to run out and rent (or buy) "A Evening with Kevin Smith" It was filmed when he did a college tour and this is the funnest DVD I have seen in years! The stories of him working on the BATMAN Film and with Prince are well worth the price!!! After renting it, I found a copy to buy. I still give it a play once a month or so after a year of owning it!

    Kevin can do know wrong,of course Jersey Girl came and went so fast I did not get a chance to see it but that might be a blessing.
     
  16. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    And NO AFFLECK :righton:

    THAT was why I didn't go to see Jersey Girl.
     
  17. Evan L

    Evan L Beatologist

    Location:
    Vermont
    So, you still haven't seen Jersey Girl yet, Rich?

    Rent the DVD; with modest(VERY modest)expectations, it should hold up ok on the small screen. Big snoozer IMO, though.


    Evan
     
  18. RDK

    RDK Active Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Oh Sweet Jesus, if there's a God in this Universe please do not let Kevin Smith direct "Green Hornet"... :shake:
     
  19. poweragemk

    poweragemk Old Member

    Location:
    CH
    Ray, he's going to eventually direct a comic book movie...he's too much of a comic geek not to get one at some point...
     
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