Summary
Kevin Smith has honored his lateMallratsstar Shannen Doherty by releasing a previously unseenShortcomproject the two once collaborated on. Following the breakout success of hisdebut movieClerks, Smith’s decision to cast Doherty in his 1995 comedyMallratswould begin a lifelong friendship between the two. Following Doherty’s recent passing on July 13, Smith posted a heartfelt tribute to his friend and co-star he fondly referred to as an “American icon.”
Taking to YouTube to celebrate Doherty’s life,Smithreleases a clip of a2013 mini-sitcom pilot filmed for Fox namedStubbs.
Smith introduces the clip by explaining that the 10-minuteShortcomwas intended to feature in a scrapped Fox project that would have seen different pilots compete to be greenlit and become a full sitcom. Filmed in front of a live studio audience, Smith plays a movie theater owner opposite Doherty as his character’s filmmaking friend and unrequited love interest. Check out Smith’s explanation and the full video below:
In 2013 I was doing this project and I was like “Shan, we’re doing this project for Fox and there’s Shortcoms and one of them could become a sitcom. Do you want to come play?” Like we’d been inMallratstogether but I didn’t have any dialogue with her, Silent Bob doesn’t speak. But this was a chance to do dialogue, and man we had an absolute blast.
[The] project didn’t wind up happening and Fox scrapped the whole thing and nobody ever saw this, so it’s debuting here for the first time man and Shannen is wonderful in it and radiant.
What Ever Happened to Mallrats 2?
Smith Originally Planned To Reunite With Doherty In The Cult Movie’s Sequel
When Smith burst onto the indie movie scene following the release of his debut movie, expectations were high for his follow-up project,Mallrats. Granted a $6.1 million budget that dwarfed the self-funded budget of $27,000 used forClerks,Mallratswould go on to flop at the box officeand only manage to recoup $2.1 million. Despite developing a strong cult following on home video, Doherty would later explain to Smith thatMallrats' box office failureessentially killed her burgeoning movie career. It would even be something theStubbsclip refers to by having Doherty’s character’s own movie flop.
Despite this, Doherty and Smith remained close friends, and she would even appear briefly as herself in 2001’sJay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Smith also had long-gestating plans to see her return as Rene in the as-yet unmadeMallratssequel,Twilight of the Mallrats. Going through various iterations, sadly,Smith would never get a chance to getMallrats 2off the groundprior to Doherty’s passing.
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However, as recently as January last year, Smith hinted that thanks to the response toClerks III,there was still potential forTwilight of the Mallratsto go ahead. Sadly though, it will be too late to see Doherty return to her originalView Askewniverserole. But if Smith ever does get his chance to make theMallratssequel, he will likely ensure it continues to honor Shannen’s legacy and their enduring friendship. In the meantime, this new clip offers a better insight into the pair’s unique onscreen chemistry and shared affection for one another.
Mallrats
Cast
Mallrats is the second film in Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse and a prequel to Clerks, focusing on two friends who bond at a mall after being dumped by their girlfriends. The film didn’t perform well at the box office but has since become a cult classic and one of the most notable films in Smith’s portfolio.
