The Kidd here...
I used to be a really big Kevin Smith fan. Hell, I'd still sit and watch him do hours and hours of Q&A in one shot, because the man still is one hell of a storyteller. But when it comes to what he's doing creatively these days, I'm kind of over him, as he bounces around directionless as to what he's going to do next - all of which somehow culminates in him retiring and just podcasting his days away. From his assault on people who didn't like COP OUT to his descent down the path of only self-promotion, Smith has moved farther from his days of being a guy armed with sharp dialogue who created interesting characters in humorous predicaments... and this isn't coming from someone who thinks he should only operate in the View Askew/Jersey universe. I was curious to see HIT SOMEBODY at one point (and still am a bit), but all Smith's words about the various forms it could be - it's a movie, now it's two movies, now it's one movie again, now it's a mini-series, now it's a puppet show, etc. - have become tiresome, as his actions, or lack thereof, haven't produced one frame.
He seems to be heading down that path for CLERKS 3 now. Plenty of talk, but no real action. Now I realize it wasn't that long ago Smith announced he'd be doing a third chapter on Dante and Randal, and, for all his talk about hanging up his filmmaking boots, it didn't surprise me that Smith would go back to the well to say something about this point in his life, much like he did for CLERKS 2, which was a statement about his 30s, and the first film, which spoke of his 20s. But it doesn't seem like Smith really has much to say in CLERKS 3... at least that's not the impression I got from his recent appearance on WHAT'S TRENDING. From his comments regarding the direction of CLERKS 3, which isn't really any direction at all, he seems to be making CLERKS 3 simply because he can.
You see... Smith doesn't exactly view CLERKS 3 as a feature film... or not right now. Eventually he can bring it that way, because that's where the money lies. However, Smith is now talking about the prospect of doing CLERKS 3 as an online book that would be released in episodic chapters over the internet, allowing Smith to tell portions of Dante and Randal's story, perhaps even the origin of their relationship, that he might not have the freedom to do in a feature film, but also opening up the story to be directed by fan interaction and opinion... once again going back to this point that Smith doesn't really know what he wants to do with CLERKS 3. Oh, he'll tell the story all right... but he doesn't have one particular story he wants to tell. Instead he'll tell the story based on what you think. Smith considers himself a new-media artist now, who has an obligation to do what his audience wants in some respects... but how can one be an artist when you're following the vision of others more than your own first and foremost?
You can check out Smith's full comments on CLERKS 3 here (with the discussion picking up around 11:50):
-Billy Donnelly
"The Infamous Billy The Kidd"
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