Kevin Smith Responds to Retirement Rumors; Announces Red State Distribution Plans
Posted 11.29.10 by Ryan
Writer-director Kevin Smith recently finished shooting his upcoming horror movie Red State, but could the movie really be one of Smith's last? In a recent interview with The Boston Phoenix, Smith discussed his future.
Red State is done. Next step is the hockey movie, Hit Somebody. Then I'm done. There's possibly a Clerks 3. If I have something to say in my late 40s about being in my late 40s, I'll think of [Clerks characters] Dante and Randal. Shy of that, I don't have any more movies I want to make.
Several websites have reported this as Smith's intention to retire, but Slashfilm contacted the director, who responded with an irate response to the Boston Phoenix interview.
I’ve always said (since Clerks, even) that I’ve got about ten films in me (that info might even be on my Wikipedia page). And Cop Out notwithstanding (solely because I didn’t write it), Hit Somebody is the 10th film I’ve got in me. At this moment in time, I’ve got no other flicks I wanna make. The musing about a possible return visit to the View Askewniverse with a third Clerks is something I’ve been doing since Clerks II, but I’ve always opened said musings with the disclaimer "If I ever wanna make a flick about being in my 40's, I’ll think of Dante & Randal first." There are no concrete plans for a Clerks III.
Smith called the misinterpretation of his comments "another sad example of how f**king lazy movie press has become: they cannibalize stories by other writers just to have something to post on their own blogs." To continue "cannibalizing" Slashfilm's report, Smith mentioned his plans for Red State's release.
Here’s something that’s not so much news as my stated intentions for Red State: if it gets into Sundance, my plan is to pick the Red State distributor right there — IN THE ROOM — auction style. Might even bring up a professional auctioneer to make it fun and unintelligible. And if you’re a multi-millionaire who can’t make it to the first screening of Red State, fear not: maybe we’ll set up an eBay page for the post-screening bid-calling as well.
So, just to be sure we did our homework ... Kevin Smith is retiring, right?