Two decades on from his breakout second feature, Todd Solondz is returning to the world of Welcome To The Dollhouse. He's putting together a sort-of sequel, **Wiener-Dog{
'Wiener-Dog' was the unkind nickname given to the awkward Dawn in the original film, but this time around it has a double meaning. The follow-up will be an ensemble drama covering multiple characters, all of whose stories are linked by a life-changing dachshund. So there's some whimsy amid the angst, as you might predict from the writer/director who followed Dollhouse with Happiness and Storytelling.
Dawn was famously played by the 11-year-old Indie Spirit award-winning Heather Matarazzo last time, but while Matarazzo is still acting and producing, THR confirms that she is definitely not involved in recreating her signature role. Which is a shame. Instead, Gerwig will be playing the grown-up Wiener.
The prolific Megan Ellison is aboard Wiener-Dog as a producer and financier via her Annapurna company, and she's joined behind the scenes by Christine Vachon and Killer Films.
Expect this to be a "sequel" to Welcome To The Dollhouse in the same way that Life During Wartime is a "sequel" to both Dollhouse and Happiness. Palindromes is also connected, since that film opens with Dawn's funeral, placing Wiener-Dog, obviously enough, chronologically earlier.
Much to ponder then, but there's no start date yet. After some time in quiet development, however, things are now moving quickly.