Mallrats 2 Delay Explained: Kevin Smith Gives Latest Update On Comedy Sequel

Director Kevin Smith provides an update on the possibility of making Mallrats 2, a follow-up to his 90s cult classic. Written and directed by Smith, Mallrats was released in 1995 as the follow-up to his wildly successful comedy classic Clerks, and starred Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Michael Rooker, and Claire Forlani. While the movie was not a box office success, it was popular on home video, and, like its predecessor, went on to develop a cult following.

In an interview with Deadline, Smith discusses the possibility of making Mattrats 2. The Chasing Amy director and New Jersey native previously planned to make the movie before Clerks III, even at one point announcing a 10-episode Mallrats TV show that never materialized. Speaking of his continued desire to see a Mallrats sequel, the 54-year-old discusses the challenges of getting the movie made with Universal, and his desire to make it independently. Check out Smith's comments below:

So, with Shannen [Doherty's] passing, at that point, I was like, “Well, I guess that kind of closes the book for us.” But then a couple of weeks ago, my producer was having a conversation with some folks at Universal. The thing has been for years that, of course I’d love to make the Mallrats sequel as I’ve said many times. Any time I turn in a script, the good folks at Universal are like, “This is neither fast nor furious.” So, we never go anywhere.

At one point, we were gonna make a $5 million version of it through one division they used to have maybe, I don’t know, I forget what it was called, but like they did smaller straight to streaming or straight to video type movies.

And then it kind of fell apart and we’ve tried to get it out of there but they’re like, you know, Universal has never released a title. But I think we’re going back to have a discussion again about like, look, you guys are never gonna do anything with this. Like, but we can and would and would and would love to. So can you let us take it out? We’re not asking Universal to finance it, but it’s just like, hey, can we have it so we can go out because I can get that movie financed in a heartbeat, Mallrats 2 .

So, fingers crossed the good folks at Universal go like, “You know what? We’re never gonna do anything with this. Go ahead.” I mean, it’s hysterical. There are times when I’ve dealt with folks at Universal to talk about a Mallrats sequel and the people I deal with are like, “We have Mallrats ?” …

So, hopefully it can go forward and if it doesn’t, I get it. I’m not spoiled where it’s like, “I get to make everything I want!” If I can’t make a Mallrats sequel, I will live and make something else, but it looks like we’re going back at it to see if it’s possible this time, and hopefully Universal is just like, “Yeah, go ahead and take it.”

Will Mallrats 2 Ever Happen?

How Would Mattrats 2 Impact Smith's Career Trajectory?

Smith is a director happy to revisit his movies and make sequels to earlier works, and Mallrats 2 presents a great opportunity to do this. Furthermore, in recent years he has retread familiar ground after branching out to try different (and riskier) projects. He followed the critically panned Jersey Girl with Clerks II, and, after 11 years of making movies away from the View Askewniverse, he returned with Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and Clerks III. With the upcoming third installment of his 'True North Trilogy,' Moose Jaws, yet to be released, Mallrats 2 could be a good follow-up.

It seems unlikely Smith will make the movie with Universal, but in 2023 he provided an exciting Mallrats 2 update revealing positive dialog with studios such as Lionsgate. If he can reclaim his intellectual property, he could then have the freedom to make the movie on his own terms. Smith has enjoyed a career evolution in the past decade and appears more open to exploring different projects, but the comfort blanket of returning to a project he knows so well could prove very appealing to a director who has always worn his heart on his sleeve.

Much will depend on the cast as well, with Smith revealing in 2020 that Mallrats 2 brings the entire original cast back, which is now impossible following Doherty's passing. Supporting actor Ben Affleck is a prominent actor and director, and it could prove a challenge to get him on board with with his schedule for more than a cameo. However, Smith appears to have a positive working relationship with the core Mallrats cast, which should bode well for the casting of Mallrats 2, and there will be hope that everyone can return for the sequel.

Source: Deadline