While Mallrats wasn’t well received by critics upon release, the film has garnered a big cult following over the years. Mallrats was a simple film about two mall-roaming friends dealing with their relationship issues. It isn’t perfect, nor is it Kevin Smith’s best work. However, in my opinion, it is a very well done and memorable comedy. So when it was announced that Kevin Smith was going to make a sequel, entitled MallBrats, fans got a bit hyped.
That being said, we’ve been hyped for Clerks III for god knows how long. Yeah, when was the last time we heard any news about that? That’s what I thought. Regardless, I still find myself anticipating any new work from Smith and today’s update is no exception. Back in June, Smith announced that he would be pitching his Mallrats sequel as a 10-episode television series. Today, it seems that our wait has apparently paid off.
This past week at Comic-Con during an interview with Deadline, Smith weighed in on what we can expect from the show;
“I just sat down with the good folks at Universal last week. Our deal’s closed and whatnot, and I walked them through the 10 episodes. As I broke them down… I did the whole walk-through to be like, this is what happens this episode, this is what happens this episode, here’s the family tree. You know, it’s a multigenerational story, so it’s about all the kids in Mallrats and all the kids they had, taking my cues from one of my favorite programs in the world, Degrassi: The Next Generation.”
For the most part, it appears Smith has everything nice and locked down. Hearing that it will be a multigenerational story could lead to some great character moments. After all, what a “Mallrat” or even a “Nerd” is now is different than what it was back then. On another note, the fact that Smith has gone to Degrassi: The Next Generation for inspiration is not surprising. Smith has been a fan of the show for years. Notably, Smith appeared in a few episodes of the show alongside his friend and co-star Jason Mewes. It also seems to make sense in another way. Fans will note that in the original Mallrats, Shannen Doherty is wearing a Degrassi jacket.
Smith went on to talk more about what to expect from the characters;
“Like, all the characters came back in the Mallrats 2 script, but sometimes it’s just like, hey, it’s that person, you’re moving on. Now we get to go into their lives and stuff and what happens after happily ever after, so it’s pretty damn fun and funny and stuff.”
So, it looks like we will see a lot of people back. However, what scares me is how often will they show up? If this show pulls a Heroes: Reborn on me, I’m gonna be seriously pissed. But, as a fan for many years, I have faith that Smith will make this something special for his fans. And if you are worried, you should probably appreciate this because between this, Yoga Hosers & Moose Jaws, I don’t see Clerks III on the horizon anytime soon.
I will update you further when more news of the show develops. Until then, enjoy the trailer for the OG, Mallrats.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8762ow8is[/embedyt]
