MALLRATS 2: DIE HARD IN A MALL on the SMALL SCREEN?

It's a project that's familiar to Kevin Smith fans, and many have even heard the story told by the man himself during his increasingly popular question and answer sessions. It's Mallrats 2: Die Hard in a Mall. The story goes like this: Prior to its release, Mallrats was a surefire theatrical hit with Universal and the filmmakers, so Kevin and Scott started to plan the sequel to the film. The plot would involve a Die Hard-esque rescue attempt when the mall gets taken hostage, with Jay & Silent Bob as the heroes.

Well, you all know the rest -- After a disappointing turn at the box office, the sequel was off, and for years, Kevin has been tossing around the idea of throwing what would have been the sequel into a comic book. Busy schedules have kept that from happening, but it had always been a project that fans looked forward to seeing one day.

Now, the big news: Rumor has it that Mallrats 2: Die Hard in a Mall will be coming to the SMALL SCREEN! Apparently, HBO is working on a deal to produce the feature length 'Rats 2, after seeing the increasing success of the film in its home video and DVD release. All of the cast from the original Mallrats, aside from that sniveling T.S. guy, are set to reprise their roles for this made for HBO sequel. We assume that Kevin Smith will return to write and direct, and that, given the cable background, the film will carry at least an "R" rating (though the cable system doesn't require a film to be rated, so anything goes with this one, really). AIAN contacted HBO publicist Avril Fewl, but did not receive a reply.

With Kevin's current project slate, this could be the one that comes after Green Hornet! Stay tuned to AIAN for news on this very exciting development.