'Clerks III' will start filming next month

Kevin Smith has confirmed that he will begin shooting Clerks III next month.

Lionsgate has acquired worldwide rights to the 'threequel' to the 1994 cult classic Clerks, which is in pre-production in New Jersey and will begin production next month.

Smith has written the screenplay and will direct, with all major cast members from the first two Clerks films set to reprise their roles: Jeff Anderson as Randal, Brian O’Halloran as Dante, Jay Mewes as Jay, Smith as Silent Bob, and Rosario Dawson as Becky. The film will be produced by Liz Destro and Jordan Monsanto.

In Clerks III, following a massive heart attack, Randal enlists Dante, Elias, Jay and Silent Bob to make a movie immortalizing his life at the convenience store that started it all.

"There’s a saying from the Tao that goes something like ‘To be great is to go on. To go on is to go far. To go far is to return.’ Thanks to Lionsgate, we get to return to where it all started with almost the whole cast that started it all!" Smith said in a statement via Deadline.

"And for the first time since the first time we ever made a movie in 1993, we’re shooting the entire flick on location in New Jersey, as an ode to both the enduring allure of cinema and the resourcefulness and lunacy of its storytellers. Years ago, Dante and Randal made me a filmmaker – so now it’s time I return the favour."