Kevin Smith Reveals the Heartbreaking Reason Why the ‘Mallrats’ Sequel Will Never Be the Same [Exclusive]

5 days ago 14

Ever-busy filmmaker Kevin Smith always has a few irons in the fire, and one of his long-unrealized projects is Twilight of the Mallrats, a sequel to his 1995 cult classic Mallrats. Will it ever get off the drawing board? Smith discussed the project with Collider's Steve Weintraub while making the rounds to promote the 4K release of his long-missing-in-action religious satire, Dogma. Smith talked about how, with the mall now largely extinct, Twilight of the Mallrats will center around the quixotic quest of the first film's hero to save the local mall from oblivion. He told Collider:

"The Twilight of the Mallrats script was mostly predicated on Brodie Bruce, our hero, Brodie Bruce, who was, quite like many of us, unwilling to let go of the glory days. So, Brodie spends Twilight of the Mallrats trying to save the mall from being closed, but not because anyone needs it anymore, but because the happiest moments of his life happened there. They're the best days of his life."

Smith also discussed how Mallrats has inadvertently become an anthropological chronicle of life in the pre-internet age, saying: "When I made Mallrats, I never felt that I was making a feature [for] social studies cinema. It is now a snapshot of a time that just doesn't f***ing exist. It's like a historical document now. Like, it was a disposable, throwaway teen titty comedy in 1995, but now you could actually study that f***ing movie and be like, 'No, that's what people did. We went to places. Even if we didn't have money to shop, we would just go there and be around other people. We didn't silo. We didn't isolate.' So, the plot of Mallrats 2 is all about a dying culture. That's why it was called Twilight of the Mallrats."

Will we ever see Twilight of the Mallrats? Smith remains optimistic, but notes that the film, if it happens, won't be the same after the death of Shannen Doherty, who starred in the original. "Hopefully, we get to make it," he said. "It’ll be a bit bittersweet if we do, though, because Shannen was such a big part of it, as well." Doherty, a veteran of Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed, died of breast cancer in 2024.

What Is 'Mallrats' About?

Mallrats centers around two best friends, T.S. (Jeremy London) and Brodie (Jason Lee), who get dumped by their respective girlfriends, Brandi (Claire Forlani) and Rene (Doherty), on the same day; with nothing else to do, they head to the local mall. There, they scheme to get their girlfriends back: T.S. plans to disrupt the filming of a dating game show run by Brandi's dad (Michael Rooker) with the help of local goofballs Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), while Brodie tries to ruin Rene's new paramour, obnoxious clothing store manager Shannon (Ben Affleck). Comic book legend Stan Lee also cameos, long before he became a mainstay of the MCU. The film was Smith's first Hollywood production after the success of his self-financed indie Clerks; while it was a box office disappointment, it has since become a cult favorite.

What Is 'Dogma' About?

Dogma is a fantastical comedy centering around two fallen angels (Affleck and Matt Damon) who intend to scam their way back into Heaven, which will also bring about the end of the world. Opposing them is Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), an abortion clinic employee who's also the last descendant of Jesus Christ. Controversial but well-reviewed upon its release, the film was out of print for decades, thanks to malfeasance on the part of convicted and imprisoned sex criminal Harvey Weinstein, who owned the rights to the film with his brother Bob. Recently, however, the Weinsteins sold the rights to the film, and it has been re-released on home media and in theaters.

Twilight of the Mallrats is in development. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates. You can purchase Dogma in 4K at Amazon.