So the news broke recently that yes, Mrs. Doubtfire 2 is underway. 21 years after the Chris Columbus-directed original became a wild success and helped propel Robin Williams’ career further into "Dramedy" territory, someone thinks it’s a good idea to try and compete with the Madea franchise. While Williams is attached to the project, none of the other cast members have been approached as of yet. However, we can tell you who most definitely won’t be back: child actress turned writer Mara Wilson, who got her start as Natalie – the youngest of the Hillard children in the 1993 original.
Last night, Mara Wilson used her Twitter account to state the following:
After her initial post, she further explained her rationale in a series of supporting messages, with the core of her argument being that:
When a star takes to Twitter in order to speak out against a project, it usually isn’t a very structured or orderly affair. (Read Jim Carrey’s feed from around the time he was "promoting" Kick Ass 2 if you need evidence.) But Ms. Wilson’s recent string of tweets regarding her rejection of a Mrs. Doubtfire sequel is exactly that. Her argument against the project tears apart an idea most of us are skeptical about, and does so with pinpoint accuracy and extreme polity.
Among the positive responses to her tweets, there was a criticism launched when dealing with the eventual question of how a sequel would even start – there’s a good chance it’ll have to start with the Hillard children not speaking to their father for some reason or another. This has to be one of the most depressing ideas for a sequel, and rightfully so. The first film focused on the emotions and turmoil a family goes through when parents decide to separate, and to have a second film that seems even half as emotionally grounded (yet comically sound), something traumatic is going to have to happen that brings the Doubtfire character back into the family.
As Ms. Wilson has stated, Mrs. Doubtfire "ended where it needed to end." Considering it was a Chris Columbus movie, it’s a feat of magic and skill that it has probably one of the sweetest "realistic" endings ever. The marriage isn’t magically reconciled, but the parents understand each other a little better and the children are able to see their dad again.
How do you follow that ending with anything that isn’t a set of closing credits, set to a Howard Shore score? To ruin a perfect ending like that is to basically run into the original with the same Guinness truck that killed Winston Doubtfire. True, he may not have actually existed; but according to Mara Wilson, neither should this sequel. To see the entire exchange, as well as any further comments that Ms. Wilson might have on that or other matters regarding to her career, check out her official Twitter feed.
