Kevin Smith Reveals Dark Themes Of ‘Clerks III’

The latest offering from comedian/actor/director Kevin Smith was comedy horror Tusk, so it’s not surprising the third and final installment in his Clerks trilogy follows a darker path than its predecessors.

It was the bizarre True North trilogy (which Tusk features in) that provided Smith with the necessary funding for Clerks III.

Set to begin filming mid-2015, Smith told theMusic.com.au the finale deviates from the first two films’ themes, finding a darker anchor around which to revolve.

“Clerks III is about middle age and how dreams don’t always come true and the ones that do don’t always wind up being what you want… The aspect of Clerks that I now find most interesting is Dante and Randal ageing and trying to fucking maintain their identity as they get middle-aged and closer to the end,” Smith said.

“Just as Clerks and Clerks II were snapshots of who I was and my life – those two Clerks being me in my 20s and me in my 30s – this one is definitely me in my 40s, kind of getting to the point where the fun is over.

“How do you maintain who you are in the face of a world that changes so fast that it left you behind a long time ago?”

With a successful career and happy family, Smith said he was never going to be able to draw from personal turmoil to create films like Chasing Amy, Dogma or the original Clerks. 

“I can’t make the kind of movies I used to make when I was a kid, I’ll never be able to make another Chasing Amy… Fuck, I hope not; Chasing Amy came from a place of terrible pain and trying to come to grips with relationships and whatnot, and I hope to God I don’t make another one because that would mean that something happened in my marriage.”

Tusk is out on DVD and BluRay 12 Feb via Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and Smith is currently working on its follow-up with Johnny Depp, Yoga Hosers, and an Australian tour.