Kevin Smith Documentary 'Clerk' Gets Release Date In 1091 Pictures Deal

EXCLUSIVE: 1091 Pictures has acquired rights to Clerk, the Malcolm Ingram-directed feature documentary about the life and career of filmmaker (and many other things) Kevin Smith. The pic, which had its premiere in March at SXSW, will now get a digital release November 23.

The news comes as Smith celebrates his 51st birthday Monday, which happens to be the same day he begins production on Clerks III, the long-in-the-works sequel to his self-funded 1994 indie smash that launched his career as a writer-director, actor, comic book guru, podcaster, producer and TV host. As Deadline broke last month, Lionsgate has worldwide rights to Clerks III, which includes all of the major cast member from the original including Jeff Anderson, Brian O’Halloran, Jay Mewes and Smith as Silent Bob, along with Rosario Dawson.

As for Clerk, Mewes is among those interviewed to weigh in on the peaks and pitfalls of Smith’s career, joined by fellow collaborators and friends including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Justin Long and Richard Linklater and including never-before-seen footage including of George Carlin and Stan Lee.

“I’m legit thrilled that 1091 snapped up Malcolm’s masterpiece, Clerk. To say I love this deep-dive documentary into my favorite subject matter is a gross understatement,” Smith said. “And I’m stoked that this inspirational little flick has been 1091’ed! Clerk couldn’t have found a better home than with the same folks who made The Last Blockbuster such an undeniable success. I’ll be doing everything I can to assist in distributing this self-promotional piece of propaganda that tells the unlikely Cinder-fella story about a Jersey boy who made that one good movie back in the ’90s – including touring with Malcolm and his movie wherever they’ll welcome the two of us and Clerk. (which is a lot like Clerks, except you leave the S off for Savings)!”

The Clerk deal was negotiated by Marc H. Simon of Fox Rothschild LLP on behalf of the filmmakers and 1091 manager of film distribution Emma Manfredi.

“We are big fans of Kevin’s work, so we couldn’t be more excited to play a part in telling his story through Clerk,” Manfredi said. “Malcolm’s film has something for everyone to enjoy.”