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    Kevin Smith Says "Clerks III" Will Be His Best Film Ever

    And don't worry — he promised fans he won't be doing a Kickstarter to fund it.

    Both during a Reddit AMA and on his podcast yesterday, director Kevin Smith gave some details about Clerks III — and he said it's going to be his best film ever.

    Yesterday on Reddit, Smith said he has almost finished writing the script: "Status of CLERKS III is this... I'm on page 95. That means there's about 25 pages left to go. I'm in love with it and don't want it to end, but the end is near regardless."

    The director confirmed that all the usual suspects from the first Clerks are back — Dante (Brian O'Halloran), Randal (Jeff Anderson), Jay (Jason Mewes), and of course, Silent Bob (Smith himself) — as well as Elias (Trevor Fehrman) and Becky (Rosario Dawson) from Clerks II.

    He also confirmed Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), who was absent from the second film, is written into the script of the third.

    Smith said that Anderson and O'Halloran are both open to the idea of returning to complete the trilogy. "Both have said 'Hit me with a script and we'll see...' I'll be able to do that soon," Smith said yesterday on Reddit.

    After dishing on Reddit, Smith shared even more tantalizing details on the podcast he hosts with Scott Mosier. (The Clerks III talk starts around minute 43.)

    "It's been a fucking blast — just such a good time," Smith says of writing the script. "The Elias/Randal stuff is fantastic. I'm really proud of it."

    Like, REALLY proud of it — Smith says it's going to be his best film ever.

    "I said, 'This is going to be my best film ever,' and people were like, 'I bet you're sorry you said that.' No," Smith said on the podcast. "I said it, so I feel it, dick."

    Smith explained, "Having read it as I write it, I think it will be the best 'cause it really just encapsulates everything. There is a little piece of every movie I've ever made in this movie, and there's, like, tie-ins and crossovers and nothing egregious — like, 'Oh, there's Chasing Amy's Jason Lee,' or something like that."

    Hardcore Kevin Smith fans will be rewarded with what he called "Easter eggs" scattered throughout Clerks III referencing his other films. "If you know those movies, you're going to be like, holy shit!" Smith said.

    Those little touches are not the only gifts Smith is giving to his fans — yesterday on Reddit he promised that he would not make them foot the bill for the film's production through a Kickstarter.

    Smith said that he considered doing a Kickstarter for the film at one point last fall, "But now I'm feeling like that's not fair to real indie filmmakers who need the help. Unlike back when I made CLERKS in '91, I've GOT access to money now — so I should use that money and not suck any loot out of the crowd-funding marketplace that might otherwise go to some first-timer who can really use it."

    Smith went as far as to say he would like to fund the whole thing himself.

    "If I can get away with it, I'm gonna try to pay for CLERKS III myself," Smith said. "I started on my own dime, and if I'm allowed, I should finish on my own dime."