It is less than a week since we discovered that a third installment of theClerksfranchise was moving forward, and with cameras apparently set to begin rolling very soon, Kevin Smith has revealed that today is the day of the first table read of the script, which will be the first time the whole cast have come together in preparation for the production starting. With Smith having been busy on the promotion trail forMasters of The Universeduring the last month, it seems there is no rest for the wicked as he heads straight into work onClerks III.

While posting the news on Twitter,Kevin Smithtook the opportunity to have a little joking swipe atMasters of The Universefans who have been quick to tear into his continuation of the classic 80s cartoon series, mainly for “killing off” the main character. It was this that Smith was happy to play around with in his post.

Smith wrote, “I turn 51 a week from today, as we start shooting CLERKS III. But at noon, the cast reads the script aloud for the first time! Wait until@BrianCOHalloranfinds out we kill off his character in the first act! My storytelling senses tell me audiences universally love that trope…”

It should be pointed out that the original script forClerkshad the character of Dante die at the end, but it should be taken with a pinch of salt that Smith would be giving away the death of their lead character inClerks III, and is definitely just a little joke at the expense ofHe-Manfans who have been a little upset by hisMaster of the Universe: Revelationseries.

The new addition to theClerksseries will see the story taking a fact becoming fiction route, as Jeff Anderson’s character of Randal will be seen surviving a heart attack at the beginning of the movie, something that happened to Smith a couple of years back. Randal then goes on a mission to make a movie about his life at the convenience store where he and the group worked many years ago. WithBrian O’Halloran returning as Dante, and Smith and Jay Mewes also back as Jay and Silent Bob.Clerks IIinductee Rosario Dawson will be back in the role of Becky.

“There’s a saying from the Tao that goes something like ‘To be great is to go on. To go on is to go far. To go far is to return.’ Thanks to Lionsgate, we get to return to where it all started with almost the whole cast that started it all,” Smith said in a statement. “And for the first time since the first time we ever made a movie in 1993, we’re shooting the entire flick on location in New Jersey, as an ode to both the enduring allure of cinema and the resourcefulness and lunacy of its storytellers. Years ago, Dante and Randal made me a filmmaker - so now it’s time I return the favor.”

With shooting only due to start sometime soon, there is currently no word on when we can expect to seeClerks IIIarrive in cinemas.