Kevin Smith may have only just finished the first draft of the script for the forthcoming Mallrats sequel, but he’s already got one new cast member on board, and it’s someone he’s worked with pretty recently.

During a watch party double feature for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot last night, writer/director Kevin Smith announced that Aparna Brielle, who plays one of the new girl gang members in the latter sequel, is already on board to star in Twilight of the Mallrats as the daughter of Brodie Bruce (Jason Lee). Naturally, her character’s name is yet another nod to the comic books the guy loves so much.

Here’s what Kevin Smith posted to Twitter during the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot watch party last night:

I was so impressed with @aparnabrielle, I built my next flick around her: Aparna will play Brodie Bruce's daughter Banner Bruce in the movie I hope to shoot next – TWILIGHT OF THE MALLRATS. @DohertyShannen already read the script and LOVED! Lee reading now! #QuarantineWatchParty

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) May 12, 2020

So Aparna Brielle is playing Banner Bruce, clearly a reference to The Incredible Hulk. Brielle is a fantastic young actress at 26 years old, and she still looks young enough to pull off roles as a high school student, which is exactly what she’s best known for on the NBC comedy A.P. Bio, which has since been shifted over to the new Peacock streaming service. You may have also seen her in Grimm and The Librarians, but in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, she plays the character Jihad.

Though we’re not sure how big of a part Brielle plays in the story of Twilight of the Mallrats, Smith just recently said the sequel will look at “what happens when the sidewalk sales end, and ‘happily ever after’ is easier to say than live.” Surely trying to take care of kids is part of that struggle, a theme that Smith also utilized in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, so it could easily play a big part in the presumed midlife crisis that the characters of Mallrats will be going through.

The update from Kevin Smith also confirms that Shannen Doherty will be returning for the sequel, and Jason Lee is in the midst of reading it. Before returning for a brief part in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, the actor had been retired for a few years. So hopefully the script is good enough to convince him to do it again. We don’t want another Clerks III situation where the movie is held up by one of the key stars. Though that may have worked out for the best since a new version of that sequel is also in the works.

As of now, Twilight of the Mallrats doesn’t have a release date, and we don’t know when it might start production, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed that Kevin Smith can make it happen.

The post Kevin Smith’s ‘Mallrats’ Sequel Cast Already Has ‘A.P. Bio’ Star Aparna Brielle on Board as Brodie’s Daughter appeared first on /Film.