You really shouldn’t shit on a guy that miraculously recovered from a major, life-threatening heart attack and went on to make a film that is one of the most personal of his career. But when that guy is Kevin Smith and the film is “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot,” you can’t just give him a free pass, right? That movie isn’t good and Smith hasn’t to wowed us with a film project since…uh, “Clerks?” (Maybe “Chasing Amy,” but upon rewatch recently, that film has not aged well.) So, forgive our pessimism when the filmmaker announced that after “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot,” he’s still not done with the View Askewniverse, specifically “Mallrats.”
Last fall, Smith broke the news that he was deep into development on a new script for “Clerks III,” which is a film that he’s been trying to get off the ground for years. Many assumed that the threequel would be his next film, and perhaps, the end of the characters of the View Askewniverse. Alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case. You see, Smith is dusting off another idea that was seemingly put back on the shelf — “Mallrats 2.”
Smith wrote, on Instagram, “It’s gonna be hard for 2020 to measure up to 2019 – but I’m off to a fun start by writing stuff for Brodie Bruce & Co. to say in the new script I’m calling TWILIGHT OF THE MALLRATS! The CLERKS III script is also underway, so we’ll see which flick will be my first film of the roaring 20’s!”
READ MORE: ‘Clerks 3’: Kevin Smith Reveals The Meta Plot To His Long-Awaited Franchise Finale
So, while the world isn’t free from the threat of “Clerks III,” just yet, it does appear that Smith’s own excitement for “Twilight of the Mallrats” may just beat the former to theaters (and an eventual roadshow, where Smith truly makes his money and visits fans). At this point, it’s hard to put your money on either one to actually get made. This is far from the first time “Clerks III” was in development and a “Mallrats” sequel has been teased/developed just as much in recent years, with a proposed TV series that was being worked on in 2016 never coming to fruition.
But let’s put all that negativity aside and talk about what “Twilight of the Mallrats” could look like. Mythology nerds might immediately assume that the title refers to Norse mythology and the events of Ragnarok (the myth, not the Marvel Studios film). However, as a comic book nerd, I can’t help but be reminded about an unproduced Alan Moore series called “Twilight of the Superheroes” that was going to be the biggest, most epic superhero crossover to ever grace the pages of a DC comic book.
Despite Moore’s legendary status, DC didn’t move forward with the series back in the late-‘80s and it’s viewed as one of the writer’s lost works. However, in the early days of the internet, the detailed proposal for the series leaked online and many fans have discussed what could have been if the series was made. And considering “Mallrats” follows the adventures of comic book-obsessed fanboy Brodie Bruce, I’m going to guess that Moore’s unproduced work might be more of an inspiration than Norse mythology.
That being said, Smith revealing that he’s working on the project via his personal Instagram is not even close to confirmation that the film will ever be released. The filmmaker has never been short on ideas, however, when it comes to financing and distribution, that’s when he has to get creative. So, we’ll wait and see if anything comes from this, or if this is yet another example of Smith’s unbridled excitement for a project that will never see the light of day.
