Kevin Smith has seemingly confirmed that actors Bruce Campbell and Michael Rooker will appear in his Mallrats sequel, Twilight of the Mallrats. Earlier this year Smith revealed he was again working on the script for Mallrats 2 (as well as Clerks 3), and he’s been using the pandemic-induced isolation to finish writing. The first Mallrats released in 1995 and was Smith’s follow-up film to his breakout hit, Clerks.
Mallrats follows T.S. (Jeremy London) and Brodie (Jason Lee), two guys who hang out a local mall following breakups with their girlfriends. Their day at the mall, however, is quickly complicated by a dating show, a jerk clothing store manager (Ben Affleck), and the antics of Jay and Silent Bob. Mallrats also includes a rare, non-Marvel movie cameo appearance from Stan Lee, who offers some timely romantic advice to Brodie in what’s now one of the film’s most memorable scenes. In recent years, Smith has had success with following up his previous movies with new sequels like Clerks II and Jay and Silent Reboot, and it seems to be time Mallrats had its chance.
Smith shared an update on his Mallrats 2 script progress via Twitter, revealing that he’s presently 75 pages in and has written scenes for Bruce Campbell and Michael Rooker. For the Evil Dead star, Smith says he has written a “show-stopping monologue“, while the scenes written for Rooker’s character will have audiences laughing and crying. Check out the writer-director’s full update, below:
Using all of those names again as I write the unnecessary sequel, “Twilight of the Mallrats”! On page 75 right now, about to enter Act 3. Got a show-stopping monologue for @GroovyBruce, but the @RookerOnline scenes I wrote will tickle your funny bone while breaking your heart.🐀 https://t.co/eL5AksFLBo
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) April 14, 2020
Rooker starred in the original Mallrats as Jared Svenning, creator of the Truth or Date dating show and father to T.S.’ girlfriend, Brandi (Claire Forlani). Presumably, Rooker will reprise this role for the sequel, only now he’ll also be T.S.’s father-in-law since Mallrats‘ epilogue reveals that Brandi and he eventually marry. It’s easy to see, then, how Rooker’s scenes are sure to run the emotional gamut given the somewhat tense relationship his character was seen to previously have with T.S.
As for Bruce Campbell, he had previously lobbied Smith for a role in a Mallrats sequel when the idea first came up. Smith responded by saying the only role he could imagine Campbell playing in Mallrats 2 would that of himself, suggesting the Army of Darkness actor could have a role that functions similarly to Lee’s original cameo. Judging by Smith’s comments, it seems there’s a good chance Mallrats 2 will see Brodie receiving wisdom from another of his childhood heroes, Ash Williams.
Source: Kevin Smith
