We reported earlier in the day that Miramax was partnering with The Weinstein Company to create a slew of sequels from the movies that it already owns. It beats original ideas, that’s for sure.
Now, director Kevin Smith has commented on the development with a level head:
“If someone was going to exploit the library for sequels, remakes, TV, I’d rather it be the devil I know. Nice to know there’s a home for Clerks III if I ever wanted to make it, but hope it doesn’t become a home for a Clerks-anything if I’m not involved. Either way, I doubt my shit is even something they wanna re-do/remake. [Miramax owns] Clerks, Chasing Amy, Jersey Girl and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. But then it’s further complicated by the Jay & Silent Bob of it all. They don’t own Jay & Silent Bob; I do. They own Strike Back, but they can’t make any flick that’d include Jay & Silent Bob (even a Strike Back sequel) without my permission/license.”
He then went on to give the best possible synopsis for a Jersey Girl sequel that could ever exist:
“The only flick they own free & clear of me with no ties whatsoever, is Jersey Girl. And from personal experience, there’s little to no interest in a sequel or remake, unless it opens with JLo’s dead Mom busting out of her earthen grave, trampling her only begotten daughter’s copy of a Necronomicon as she eats her brains. If they wanna do THAT Jersey Girl sequel, I’m totally in.”
We’re totally in, too.
Smith did this 140 characters at a time via his twitter feed. Clerks remains on the list of Miramax titles that is being looked at for sequel potential, and Smith’s comments bring a new light to the situation. There are three possible scenarios now.
- Miramax doesn’t make a Clerks III.
- Miramax makes a Clerks III with Kevin Smith.
- Miramax makes a Clerks III without Kevin Smith and without Jay or Silent Bob.
They’re a packaged deal, and I doubt that Smith would sell off the rights to use the characters without having creative involvement in the film. The only way he’ll have creative involvement, as he’s stated before, is if he comes up with an idea worthy of placing Dante back behind the counter in order to explore.
What do you think?