Kevin Smith has come up with a touching way to pay tribute to the late Shannen Doherty in a sequel to Mallrats.
The director, 54, said he wants to enlist Doherty’s close friend Sarah Michelle Gellar to take over the late actress’ role in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday, October 2.
Doherty starred as Rene Mosier alongside Jason Lee, Claire Forlani and Jeremy London in the 1995 film. Smith had been wanting to make a follow-up, titled Twilight of the Mallrats, for “years” prior to the actress’ death from breast cancer in July.
“My first feeling after Shannen passed was like, ‘Well, that’s it,’” Smith told the outlet. “Her character, Rene, didn’t just pop up in the movie; she’s a big feature. Brodie [Jason Lee] and Rene are main characters in the movie. So when Shannen passed, it felt like, ‘Alright, well the movie will never happen and probably for the best.’”
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However, Smith added that he now believes that a sequel could be back in the cards and serve as a tribute to Doherty with Gellar on board.
“Shannen’s closest friend was Sarah Michelle Gellar, and I worked with Sarah on Masters of the Universe: Revelation,” Smith explained. “So her being Shannen’s bestie and having already tried out for Mallrats 30 years ago next year, I would ask Sarah to step in for Shannen. … She’d bring Shannen’s warmth with her, and it’s maybe the next best thing to having Shannen there.”
Following the publication of the article, Gellar reacted to the suggestion by commenting on a post shared by The Hollywood Reporter via Instagram.
“Here for this idea!!” Gellar, 47, wrote.
Gellar and Doherty shared a close bond for decades prior to her passing. After the Beverly Hills, 90210 star died in July, Gellar posted a heartfelt tribute to Doherty and urged fans to “honor” her.
“How do you possibly find the right words to sum up 30 years of friendship? I keep reminding myself it only hurts this much because there was so much love,” Gellar wrote alongside a series of photos posted via Instagram in July. “Thank you, for all your kind words and support. I love all the messages about how @theshando was important to you. So let’s honor her.”
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Publicist Leslie Sloane confirmed to Us Weekly in July that Doherty had lost her battle with cancer at age 53.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease,” the statement read. “The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace.”
Doherty was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in 2015. The actress publicly revealed her health battle in 2017 after going into remission. At the time, Doherty shared that the cancer had returned. In November 2023, she shared that the cancer had spread to her bones.
