Fans of the 1995 cult hit Mallrats celebrated last year when creator, writer and director Kevin Smith announced details for the long-awaited sequel, Mallbrats, but it now looks like the follow-up to the beloved comedy film will be delivered as a ten-episode TV series.
Appearing on US radio station 93.3 WMMR (via NME), Smith explained that buying the Mallrats title from Universal proved to be a difficult feat.
"...Apparently Universal has never let a catalogue title go, any title they own, they’ve retained, they’ve never done something where they’re like, ‘Oh, you can take it back and go make a sequel. Never in the history of the studio," Smith said.
"So we entered a protracted negotiation with Universal trying to get it made in different pockets of the studio."
The 45-year-old filmmaker revealed the decision to deliver the sequel as a TV series was sparked after he directed a recent episode of CW's The Flash, saying that he "felt at home in the medium".
"A couple months ago, we started reconfiguring the idea of doing Mallrats not as a film but as a series, and Universal and I are just about to close our deal to do Mallrats the series. Then we take it out into the world and find a home for it."
"So, instead of doing a Mallrats movie, I’m going to do 10 episodes of a Mallrats series."
It is expected that original cast members including Shannen Doherty, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Michael Rooker and Stan Lee will return.
