Clueless 2: Would Alicia Silverstone Ever Return To This Role?
In the last few years, there have been rumors of a Clueless 2 happening but it doesn't look like Alicia Silverstone would return.
Could a Clueless 2 actually be happening? Hollywood’s fascination with delving into its past is probably something that will never end. Making sequels of decades-old hit movies seems to be the thing (Top Gun: Maverick, Bill and Ted Face the Music, The Matrix 4, to name a few). So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when other popular movies are brought up for a potential sequel.
Take for instance the 1995 coming-of-age teen hit Clueless. Yes, it was big back then, but 25 years have passed, and seriously, do we need Clueless 2? Maybe so. Will one happen? Follow along with us and find out.
CLUELESS 2 WAS IN THE WORKS IN 2019 BUT SEEMS TO HAVE STALLED
Back in October of 2019, it was announced that Paramount was indeed producing a remake of the 1995 hit movie with Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip) producing.
It was also reported that Oliver was bringing in Marquita Robinson to write the script for Clueless 2 or whatever they decide to call it. Robinson is known for her story editing as well as being a writer on the Netflix series GLOW.
Not much has been said about this potential reboot since then, but in theory, Clueless 2 or Clueless Revisited or Clueless Rebooted is still in the works.
What’s important to note about those rumors is that Alicia Silverstone wasn’t really attached. It would have been something more like a reboot than a direct sequel. There have been other attempts at a Clueless 2 in the past with series and musicals, but nothing has picked up the original story with the original players.
ALICIA SILVERSTONE WAS A STAR IN THE ORIGINAL CLUELESS
Before we learn more about the talks of Clueless 2, let’s discuss the original Clueless, which came out in 1995. It starred Alicia Silverstone, in one of her most popular roles, as Cher Horowitz, a teenager living in a Beverly Hills mansion with her widowed father Mel. Cher, along with her bestie Dionne, attends Bronson Alcott High School. Both girls are attractive, very wealthy, and very popular.
The story of Clueless follows Cher and her superficial ways, how she uses her school standing to get what she wants, and how she ultimately turns from a vapid, clueless individual into a caring human being who actually finds love in the strangest of places.
Silverstone played Cher to a tee (“as if!”), encompassing the mood and character of the time completely, as did her co-stars. It was a great movie, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, whose credits also include Fast Times at Ridgemont High, National Lampoon’s European Vacation, and Look Who’s Talking. Heckerling definitely knows how to work comedy.
The movie thrust Silverstone into the spotlight, but the question remains, do we need Clueless 2? Well, it obviously needed something because the movie kicked off a TV spin-off sitcom, a series of 21 youth books, a musical, and now GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT talking about a potential sequel.
A CLUELESS TV SERIES FOLLOWED BUT ALICIA SILVERSTONE WASN’T INVOLVED
Amy Heckerling was also responsible for the TV series of the same name. In fact, when Heckerling first conceived the idea for Clueless, her intention was for it to be a TV series. But Paramount actually liked it more as a movie, so it went movie first, then TV series after. So in a sense, Clueless has already gotten a sequel.
The main difference between the movie and the series is that Alicia Silverstone did not reprise her role as Cher. That role was filled by Rachel Blanchard. But there were others from the movie that did become part of the TV series, those being Stacy Dash as Dionne, Donald Faison as Murray, Elisa Donovan as Amber, Wallace Shawn as Mr. Hall, and Twink Caplan Ms. Geist.
The series lasted three seasons, one on ABC and then two more on UPN. Does the series act as a Clueless 2? Not really, but it was there to scratch a particular itch around this franchise at the time.
CLUELESS: THE MUSICAL WENT OFF-BROADWAY
The idea of making Clueless 2 has been kicked around for quite some time. With other teen movies being turned into musicals (Mean Girls, Heathers: The Musical) Heckerling saw a way to continue on, as she brought Clueless to Off-Broadway. The songs included were of the ‘80s and ‘90s era and had the lyrics changed to fit the scenes of the show. Unfortunately, the show didn’t enjoy a long run, its lifespan lasting a mere two months.
CLUELESS 2 AS A NEW TV SERIES WITH A TWIST
Within the last couple of years, CBS TV Studios announced that we would be getting a new Clueless TV series. According to Deadline, the series was described as such, “a baby pink and bisexual blue-tinted, tiny sunglasses-wearing, oat milk latté and Adderall-fueled look at what happens when the high school queen bee Cher disappears and her lifelong No. 2 Dionne steps into Cher’s vacant Air Jordans.”
So it was to be a mystery, surrounded by drama, wrapped up in comedy? It’s not exactly Clueless 2 but it sounded close.
Amy Heckerling was not involved in any way with this potential new series that at the time of the original announcement was still early in pre-production. The show was being brought to the small screen by Corinne Brinkerhoff and her development executive Tiffany Grant.
The series was also being written by Jordan Reddout and Gus Hickey, who had written for the TV series Will & Grace. There have not been any announced stars attached to this project, so we will see if it even comes to fruition.
But since that original announcement, the plans for a television series around Clueless 2 have been altered some. It was originally panned for streaming on Peacock, but now it looks like it is heading to CBS.
