Kevin Smith Says 'Clerks III' Is Off But There's A New 'Jay & Silent Bob' Film In The Works

Two eagerly awaited projects from Kevin Smith — the long-touted Clerks III and MallBrats, the TV series that was to replace the axed Mallrats 2 feature — will not be going ahead, according to the cult-favourite director.

But it's not all bad news: in their place, we'll be getting a new movie centered on beloved characters Jay and Silent Bob, titled Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, which Smith describes as "a tongue-in-cheek, silly-ass satire that pokes fun at the movie business's recent re-do obsession".

"All last month, I had the time of my life laughing while writing 'Jay and Silent Bob Reboot' — a fun flick in which the Jersey boys have to go back to Hollywood to stop a brand new reboot of the old 'Bluntman & Chronic Movie' they hated so much," he said, referring to the primary plot of 2001's Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back.

According to Smith, the film will feature "an all-star cast of cameos and familiar faces", and has a much more solid chance of materialising than the aborted Clerks and Mallrats projects: "I already met with the good folks at Miramax and they're into it, so I'm hoping we'll be shooting in the summer!"

Breaking the news to his fans on his Facebook page today, Smith explained that Clerks III had hit a fatal roadblock following the withdrawal of one of its four lead actors. To hear him tell it, the film has actually been dead for a while, as he said that it was that inability to secure the unnamed performer that led him to start work on Mallrats 2 in the first place.

"Here's the story: Sadly, Clerks III can't happen (one of our four leads opted out of the flick)," Smith wrote. "So I worked on a #Mallrats movie instead… which also didn't happen because it turned into a #Mallrats series.

"I've pitched said sequel series to 6 different networks only to find no takers thus far. Mind you, I'm not complaining: nobody gets to make EVERYTHING they wanna make in this business (do they)? And I've been lucky to make anything at all, there's so much competition out there, so many much cooler ideas from fresh folks."

Also impacting his decision is the plain business fact that Smith no longer owns Clerks or Mallrats (nor Chasing Amy or Dogma), though he retains the rights to the Jay and Silent Bob franchise.

And, although he's experienced "a slice of Heaven on Earth" directing for The CW series The Flash and Supergirl, alongside a raft of other personal pursuits (such as Yoga Hosers, Tusk and Comic Book Men, among others), he found himself getting the itch to return to his old stomping ground — and we stand to reap all the benefits.

"Since I sold #Clerks and #Mallrats years ago, they're owned by others, which limits my moves with my own material," he explained. "I don't mind: back in the day, all I ever wanted to do was sell my stuff so I could be in the movie biz in the first place."

"So while I love playing with someone else's new toys on @cwtheflash and @Supergirl, I'm getting eager to play with my old toys again in the inter-connected View Askewniverse I spent the first half of my career creating."

Read his full rundown of the situation below, and get ready for one more lap with Jay and Silent Bob.