Sure, there's a chance Jim Carrey may don the Mask of Loki again in the future,
but if his demands aren't met, could we see another film without the legendary actor in
the starring role? This is what it would take to get Jim Carrey to star in "The Mask" again.
One of Jim Carrey's most iconic roles from his early to mid-'90s movie star hot streak is Stanley
Ipkiss — the milquetoast cartoon nut who gains supernatural powers after donning an enchanted
mask in the comedy "The Mask." The part was perfect for Carrey, who has always been something
of a live-action cartoon character on his own. With the aid of some extremely '90s special
effects, he gets to literally become one in the 1994 film co-starring Cameron Diaz and Peter
Riegert. Today, "The Mask" remains one of the more memorable titles in his expansive filmography.
"Oooo, somebody stop me!"
Given that it's been almost three decades since "The Mask" debuted in theaters,
it would also seem to be a perfect fit for a sequel. The original movie is based on the
Dark Horse comic book series, which is often a good starting place. And while there was a
2005 sequel to the movie — "Son of the Mask" starring Jamie Kennedy — it fell short of
the livewire energy Carrey brought to the character. The problem is that the comedy
legend has been seemingly averse to the idea of reprising the role. But, in an interview with
ComicBook.com to promote his turn as Dr. Robotnik in 2020's "Sonic the Hedgehog,"
Carrey was asked about the possibility of doing a second installment of "The Mask," and his answer
wasn't entirely negative. At first, he shared his general apathy towards sequels, remarking:
"I don't think in terms of sequels and stuff like that. I mean, this one ['Sonic
The Hedgehog'] is kind of right for it because we have not evolved the character fully yet."
Carrey then went on to express that his interest
in doing "The Mask 2" would depend on the filmmaker involved, explaining,
"I don't want to do it just to do it. But I would
only do it if it was some crazy visionary filmmaker."
If his answer sounds familiar, it mirrors a very similar attitude Carrey expressed about
a sequel to "Ace Ventura." In an April 2022 interview with E! Online,
he again said he would only want to return to his iconic character if a visionary filmmaker
was directing it. Only this time, he named a specific filmmaker: Christopher Nolan.
"Did you miss me?"
The 2005 sequel to "The Mask" — "Son of the Mask" — was met with an
abysmal 6% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the poor showing,
"The Mask" creator Mike Richardson spoke with Forbes in 2019 about revisiting the franchise,
albeit with a different person donning the green Mask. Richardson dished:
"I'd like to see a really good physical comedian [in the role]. I have one in mind,
but I'm not gonna say her name. We have to do a lot of convincing for this particular actor,
but we'll see ... You never know what's coming in the future. We have some ideas."
Richardson kept mum about who the actress would be, but there is precedent in the Dark Horse
Comics series for someone else to put on the Mask in the event Carrey doesn't return. For example,
"The Hunt for Green October'' storyline from 1995 sees a young girl named Emily
Tuttle putting on the artifact to gain its supernatural powers. In the process,
she gets back at some of her schoolyard bullies. The comics also remind us that,
following Stanley's death, Lieutenant Kellaway comes into possession of the Mask and uses it to
assist in his investigations. Unfortunately, the bewitched item takes a toll on Kellaway
and affects his personal and professional life, leading him to put it away for good.
Perhaps most notably, Stanley's girlfriend, Kathy, becomes a prominent wearer of the mask after
she assassinates him while under its spell. With that said, an adaptation
of the original comic continuation, "The Mask Returns," could work as a hypothetical sequel,
though it would probably need some reworking to fit as a proper follow-up to the films.
In his interview with Forbes, Richardson went on to elaborate:
"One of the great things about the Mask ... is that anybody can get [it],
so you can do a story about anyone and you could cast any comedian in the role."
While someone else could certainly lead a new "Mask" movie,
no doubt fans would love to see Carrey back in the part.
Only time will tell who will become the next Mask in live-action — if it even happens at all.
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