Showgirls Update from Rena Riffel

I would like to send a big thank you to Rena Riffel herself for sending me this website, with a short interview she conducted about the recent news story of the Showgirls sequel. I had contacted Rena about the news, and she passed this along to me, to help clear things up.

Here is the short interview, and you can read the entire article at Slog.

Tell me everything you know about Showgirls 2: Story of Hope.

RENA RIFFEL: I know nothing about it!

What?! The baffling web page ostentatiously showcases an enthusiastic quote from you, and you're name-checked in the original news item!

RENA RIFFEL:I know. I'm kinda speechless. A Showgirls fan forwarded me the website last week. I saw my name in it, and I almost fell off my chair.

Was this the first you'd heard of Marc Vorlander?

RENA RIFFEL: He contacted me a year ago—that's when I gave him that quote he uses in the preview. He told me he wanted to make a Showgirls sequel and asked if I was interested. I was, but wanted to know how he was dealing with copyright issues and getting rights from the powers-that-be that own the characters from Showgirls. He said he was working it out, raising money, but then I never heard from him again.

So what do you make of the proposed Story of Hope?

RENA RIFFEL: I imagine it's just a rogue production, made by someone who has a great passion for Showgirls. I've emailed [Marc Vorlander] the last few days, but he won't email me back, which isn't a good sign. It's wonderful that's there "heat," as they say—Nomi's got heat, and now Hope's got some heat—but I feel bad that the fans are getting excited and it could be a big lie.

Speaking of would-be Showgirls sequels: Some people have read your role in Mulholland Drive as a possible continuation of Hope/Penny's story. Was that ever made explicit on-set, or are people just projecting?

RENA RIFFEL: I think that's people projecting. But in that alternate universe of David Lynch and Penny, I can see how that fits. David Lynch never mentioned such a thing, but the film was cast by the same casting director as Showgirls, so I have a feeling Lynch had seen it.

He'd better have. Will you please keep me posted on any and all Story of Hope developments?

RENA RIFFEL: Sure! It's weird that they're advertising it as if I'm totally down with it, but maybe they'll surprise us with some happy fairytale ending.