Writer/director Kevin Smith has revealed that the first draft of his upcoming sequel, Twilight of the Mallrats, envisioned the story as Die Hard in a mall. Smith recently wrote and directed another sequel, Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, which hit theaters in late 2019. The sequel involved the titular characters returning to Hollywood in order to stop a reboot of the "Bluntman and Chronic" film from getting made. Smith called the film his own version of Avengers: Endgame due to the fact it builds upon the characters from his Askewniverse. The sequel also brought back fan-favorite characters in surprising cameos, including Matt Damon's Loki from Dogma.
The first Mallrats film focuses on Brodie Bruce (Jason Lee) and TS Quint (Jeremy London), who are both dumped by their girlfriends on the same day. In order to deal with their mutual loss, they head to the local mall as they cross paths with friends, including Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith). The film also starred Shannen Doherty, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Renee Humphrey, Michael Rooker, and Ethan Suplee. The film didn't make much of a splash at the box office, but has developed a passionate following in the years since its release. Smith is no stranger to sequels, having also made follow-ups to Clerks and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. In fact, he's confirmed that he's also writing a script for Clerks 3 during the current shutdown.
In an interview on IMDb's weekly Movies That Changed My Life podcast, Kevin Smith revealed that his first draft of Twilight of the Mallrats had the story heading into Die Hard territory within the mall. When discussing his earlier draft of the script, Smith states:
"There was one I wrote years ago that was called Mallrats 2: Die Hard in a Mall. Most of that wound up becoming Jay & Silent Bob Reboot. The whole third act of Jay & Silent Bob Reboot was the whole third act of Mallrats 2. They took over the mall instead of Chronic Con, and in Jay & Silent Bob Reboot they were Russian terrorists but in Mallrats 2 they were Canadian terrorists taking over the mall, and Brody was forced into this John McClane type position."
Smith has been very open when it comes to details regarding Twilight of the Mallrats. Not only will the story feature Brodie's daughter, a brand new character, but the movie has also been confirmed to feature the return of Affleck's Shannon Hamilton character from the first film. The director also confirmed that Michael Rooker and Bruce Campbell would have roles in the sequel. Smith has also revealed that Stan Lee, who made a special appearance in the first film, will be honored in Mallrats 2. In terms of the story, Smith also expressed that it would address the coronavirus pandemic's impact on malls.
It's refreshing how open Smith is about his projects, making sure fans continue to be excited for his films, especially his long-awaited sequels. The fact the story of the upcoming Mallrats sequel almost ventured into Die Hard territory is not only amusing, but would've been ripe with comedic potential. However, it's far more encouraging that he reworked the story in order to better serve the characters and story from the first film for the sequel. Fans will have to wait and see if the follow-up lives up to their expectations when Twilight of the Mallrats hits theaters.
Source: IMDb