Jim Carrey Would Return for a Mask Sequel on One Condition

Jim Carrey went from flirting with retirement to considering comebacks for some of his biggest characters, including Stanley Ipkiss from The Mask. The actor is currently promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and he told ComicBook.com that he is now considering every project individually rather than retiring altogether. In the case of The Mask, Carrey said he would reprise the role if the script was right.

Carrey has cracked a lot of jokes about his paychecks on this press tour, but when asked what it would take for him to put on The Mask again, he answered earnestly. He said: “Oh gosh, you know, it has to be the right idea. If somebody had the right idea, I guess… It’s not really about the money. I joke about the money… But I never know. You can’t be definite about these things. I said I’d like to retire, but I think I was talking more about power-resting. Because as soon as a good idea comes your way, or a group of people that you really enjoyed working with and stuff, it just – things tend to change.”

While this may feel like a reversal to fans, it’s not all that different from what Carrey said about retirement back in 2022. At the time he told Access Hollywood: “Well, I’m retiring. Yeah, probably. I’m being fairly serious,” but he also added: “It depends. If the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road, but I’m taking a break.”

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be Carrey’s first movie role since then, and so far he’s been a good sport when asked about his retirement plans. In his interview with ComicBook.com, he joked that he returned to the franchise for the money, adding: “I gamble. Flea circuses are my thing.” Asked if he would return to play Dr. Robotnik again, he answered: “I don’t really want to say anymore. I go out on a limb and say these things, and then fate makes a liar out of me. So who knows?”

Carrey was even more enthusiastic about the idea of playing the Grinch again one day, with the benefit of CGI. He said: “If we can figure out The Grinch… The thing about it is that, on the day, I had to do that with a ton of makeup, and I could hardly breath, and it was an extremely excruciating process. The children were in my mind all the time. ‘It’s for the kids, it’s for the kids, it’s for the kids.’ And now, with motion capture and things like that, I could be free to do some other things.”

“Anything’s possible in this world,” he concluded. Carrey already has another movie booked – a mystery called Evergreen Pines and the Fading Summer with writer-director David Robert Mitchell, which is now in pre-production. It’s clear the actor values his time off, but he seems to be happy with the balance he’s found in his schedule.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters on December 20th. The previous two installments are streaming now on Paramount+, along with the spinoff series Knuckles. At the time of this writing, The Mask is not on any subscription-based streamers in the U.S., but it is available to rent or purchase on PVOD stores.