Filmmaker Kevin Smith made the surprise announcement in December that Clerks III will be his final movie as a director. He had previously stated that Hit Somebody is going to be his directorial finale, but that hockey project is now being set up as a mini-series. This morning, the director shared a message on his Facebook page where he revealed that he started writing the Clerks III script today. The date also has significance since, exactly 20 years ago today, he started production on Clerks. Take a look at the title page of the screenplay, along with the message he left for his Facebook fans.

"THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 20 years ago today, we started shooting Clerks. 20 years later, with no plan or provocation, I jumped out of bed at 4:20 this morning and started writing Clerks III. It's been like hanging out with old friends. And after 2 hours of tapping the keys and giggling, I have come to a conclusion... Clerks III will be the best film I'll ever make."

Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson starred in the original Clerks as Randall and Dante, a convenience store clerk and a video store employee in their 20s. The 2006 sequel Clerks II showed Randall and Dante in their 30s. While no story details have been confirmed, it seems safe to assume that this franchise finale will focus on their lives as 40-year-old men.

The filmmaker also revealed last month that he may write an online interactive book before the movie goes into production. Now that he is working on the film script, it isn't clear if this online book is happening or not.