Jim Carrey has a number of beloved films under his belt, and he recently revealed what it would take for him to return for Ace Ventura or The Cable Guy sequels. During an interview with E! News, promoting the new Sonic the Hedgehog movie, Carrey opened up about his career and past roles. When asked about whether or not he’d ever want to revisit some of his more famous characters, Carrey explained that it would take a bold new vision for him to step back into parts such as the outlandish pet detective.
“I think after the fact, when there’s been a lot of years, unless some genius person, director, auteur comes to you with a completely new take on what’s going on, you know. If Chris Nolan came to me and said ‘I want to make Ace Ventura real and I want to do something, you know, something more interesting’…then I might listen,” Carrey said while chuckling. “But for the most part, you know, after a certain time there’s not one cell in your body that is that person anymore so you end up just imitating what you did in the old days and the original inspiration isn’t there.”
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Notably, in 2021 it was announced that AceVentura 3 — a new sequel to the classic ’90s comedy franchise — was in the works at Amazon. The news was revealed in an interview with the team from Morgan Creek, the studio that produced Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) and its predecessor, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). During a conversation with Park Circus, a representative for Morgan Creek revealed the news of the in-development sequel, revealing “Ace Ventura will see a new day at Amazon as a major motion-picture/theatrical with the Sonic the Hedgehog writers.”
The rep stated that everyone involved is “pretty excited” about the opportunity to jumpstart the Ace Ventura franchise again and that they feel quite confident that fans want to see the outlandish pet detective make a comeback as well. “It’s noticeable from the 3 million fans chatting on the official Facebook page for Ace Ventura that audiences are clamoring for a third installment,” they stated. “During COVID, audiences have been in love and are thrilled to have beloved characters brought back with new stories.”
There has been no official word on whether or not Carrey will be involved with the new film, but back in 2018 his Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls — and In Living Color — co-star Tommy Davidson made it clear that the actor was not interested in the idea. “[Carrey] doesn’t want to do it now. But Jim is one of those kinds of artists that, you know, he does what he feels, he does what he believes in,” Davidson told Us Weekly at the time.
“I asked him about it,” Davidson added. “I told him, ‘Hey man, it’d be nice in Jamaica.’ He said, ‘No I’m not doing those now.’” While Carrey may not have been interested in another Ace Venture sequel in the past, it is possible that the Sonic The Hedgehog writers (Pat Casey and Josh Miller) being involved is a clue that he might be. Carrey stars in the Sonic franchise as the speedy blue character’s nemesis, Dr. Robotnik. He is set to appear in the upcoming sequel as well.
