Kevin Smith Announces Mallrats 2 Plans for Shannen Doherty

Kevin Smith is contemplating a sequel to his cult classic film “Mallrats” as a tribute to the late Shannen Doherty. During an interview with People, Smith revealed that Doherty, who passed away on July 13 after a prolonged battle with cancer, expressed her strong desire to participate in a second “Mallrats” film in a recent conversation.

The original “Mallrats” movie, released in 1995, featured Doherty as Rene Mosier alongside Jason Lee, Jeremy London, and Ben Affleck. A sequel, written by Smith and titled “Twilight of the Mallrats,” had been discussed in previous years but stalled in 2023 due to studio complications.

Smith shared that revisiting the sequel project could be a way to honor Doherty. “At the very least, as a ‘for Shannen,’ that’d be a cool thing to do,” Smith commented. The first “Mallrats” film did not achieve significant success upon its initial release, but it garnered a following at events like Comic-Con, partly due to Doherty’s performance.

In their final conversation, Smith and Doherty talked about the success of “Mallrats” and her pivotal role in its cult status. “It was weird when it came out, it didn’t do well,” Smith noted. “But when we first came to the Comic-Con 29 years ago, man, we were embraced and we were largely embraced because of her, because she had the credibility in the crowd.”

Smith also mentioned that they discussed Doherty attending Vulgarathon, a film event in New Jersey starting on August 3, where “Mallrats” will be screened. “The last conversations we were having was about her coming out to Jersey for the Vulgarathon because she had done a bunch of cons and whatnot, and she met the Mallrats contingency and stuff,” Smith explained. “So I was like, ‘Oh my God, Shannen, you come and watch the movie in our theater and stuff, that’ll just put you on the throne.’ ” Doherty and Smith even appeared together on her podcast, “Let’s Be Clear,” in January.

During the podcast, they touched on reading the script for “Twilight of the Mallrats,” with Smith mentioning he had been holding onto it “for quite some time.” In a February podcast episode, Doherty remarked that the script felt “sweet and nostalgic… in a really, really good way.”

Shannen Doherty’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, confirmed her death in a statement to Us Weekly on July 14. “It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease,” the statement read. “The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace.”

Through her career, Doherty will be remembered for her influential roles and the impact she had on both her colleagues and fans. Smith’s tribute through the potential sequel to “Mallrats” would serve as a meaningful testament to her contributions to the film industry.

Source: People, Us Weekly