Kevin Smith Says Clerks 'Began My Career' 30 Years Ago, While Mallrats 1 Year Later 'Killed' It

Kevin Smith recalls how Chasing Amy revived his once failed career.

“Officials began his career; Mallrats it killed my career,” says the longtime director in a recently released documentary Chase Chase Amywhich captures much of the creation and controversy surrounding his 1997 sleeper hit starring Joey Lauren Adams and Ben Affleck.

Speaking of the latter film — his third, following the hit at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. Officials and then less successful ones Mallrats 1995 — Smith, 54, says, “So you made me have to do something to stay in this business, or we’re out.”

“It’s a big part of the place [Chasing Amy] comes from. And then, of course, Joey,” he continues of Adams, 56, whom he met on set Mallrats and he was dating at the time. “Chasing Amy without Joey it would be a soulless husk, like an idea.”

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From the left: Mallrats (1995); Officials (1994).

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Of course, Smith’s career did not stop after that Chasing Amy. He has made more than a dozen films, including his latest, Movie from 4:30.

Officials spawned two sequels, published in 2006 and 2022. And although Mallrats was not well received and was considered a box office bomb, the film, with a cast that included Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Jason Mewes, Adams, Affleck and Smith, has developed somewhat of a cult following in the nearly three decades since its release.

In fact, Smith revealed back in April 2020 that he had finished writing a sequel to the latter film, titled Twilight of the Mallratsduring the first days of the quarantine caused by the COVID-19 virus.

“Thanks in part to #Quarantine, I’ve finally finished the ridiculous first draft of ‘TWILIGHT OF THE MALLRATA’!” he shared then on Instagram, along with a photo of the script.

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Kevin Smith as Silent Bob and Jason Mewes as Jay Mallrats (1995).

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Smith explained: “25 years after the original, Brodie Bruce will return for an unnecessary sequel set against the Malpocalypse! Rene, Willam, Gwen, Brandy, TS, Trish, Mr. Svenning, LaFours and the rebooted @jayandsilentbob are the returning ‘ Rats at Askewniverse imagine what will happen when the sale ends, and ‘happily ever after’ is easier said than done!”

He added that doc Jay and Silent Bob is one of his “favorite conceptual comedies” he’s “ever written,” the screenplay for which Twilight of the Mallrats is “silly, sentimental and cute”.

“At 98 pages, the story moves like a fast train without brakes!” wrote Smith.

Chase Chase Amydirected by Sav Rodgers, is now in select theaters.

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Source: HIS Education