It's been a little over a month since we first learned that Mallrats was getting remade as a TV series using ideas from Kevin Smith's Mallrats 2 script. The news has been a long time in the making, however, as a potential Mallrats 2 has been a popular topic of conversation for years. This week while at Comic-Con, Kevin Smith spoke out what we can expect from the deal that he made with Universal. In fact, we know that this version of Mallrats is going to be like another popular TV series: Degrassi: The Next Generation. Here's what Kevin Smith had to say:
I just sat down with the good folks at Universal last week. Our deal's closed and whatnot, and I walked them through the 10 episodes. As I broke them down... I did the whole walk-through to be like, this is what happens this episode, this is what happens this episode, here's the family tree. You know, it's a multigenerational story, so it's about all the kids in Mallrats and all the kids they had, taking my cues from one of my favorite programs in the world, Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Kevin Smith is notably a huge fan of Degrassi: The Next Generation, also known as the TV series that really launched the careers of people like Drake and Nina Dobrev. The director has spoken out about how he used to watch the show while at work and has referenced the TV series several times in his movies. One memorable reference actually occurred in the original Mallrats when Shannen Doherty's character wore a Degrassi jacket.
Kevin Smith and his frequent collaborator Jason Mewes even appeared in episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation during its run. So, to hear him tell Deadline that he's creating a project that will nod at the Canadian series actually makes a lot of sense.
Kevin Smith also spoke with the outlet about how the ideas in the Mallrats 2 script are going to still come into play during the 10-episode show:
Like, all the characters came back in the Mallrats 2 script, but sometimes it's just like, hey, it's that person, you're moving on. Now we get to go into their lives and stuff and what happens after happily ever after, so it's pretty damn fun and funny and stuff.
So, basically, expect a lot of familiar faces to at least pop in from time to time. While the director hasn't reached out to the likes of Ben Affleck, yet, he's hoping to be able to pull together at least small parts for the people who appeared in the original movie, as well as new characters for the TV show. We can't wait to see what that will look like, but unfortunately the Mallrats TV project hasn't landed a network or streaming service, yet. We'll let you know as soon as Mallrats moves forward. While we wait for more Kevin Smith news, you can see what TV shows will be hitting the schedule this fall.
