Jim Carrey is in talks to return for a sequel to his 2000 Christmas hit How The Grinch Stole Christmas, according to a new report.
The comedy actor took on the role of Dr Seuss’ beloved character The Grinch, a creature that hates Christmas and attempts to steal it from the nearby town of Whoville, in the Ron Howard-directed family film that has become a festive classic.
There have been two other adaptations – a 1966 cartoon special, which first portrayed the Grinch as green (as opposed to the book which is black and white), and a 2018 computer animated film starring Benedict Cumberbatch. However, the live action 2000 film is considered the definitive version by many fans.
Now, an article The Hollywood Reporter states that Carrey is in talks to make a sequel, with Howard returning to direct and producer Brian Grazer also involved. At the time of writing, no further details are available.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas became one of Carrey’s best-loved roles, although he nearly walked away from the production due to the extensive makeup needed to transform him causing panic attacks. In a retrospective for Vulture last year, Carrey revealed a man who trained CIA operatives to withstand torture was brought in to help the actor cope with the oppressive prosthetics. The coping tactics he employed included smoking, punching his own leg, and listening to the Bee Gees.
Last November, two stars of How The Grinch Stole Christmas reunited for the first time since making the film, as Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen posed together on the red carpet of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.
In other news, organisers of the César Awards released a statement in March confirming that Carrey did in fact attend this year’s ceremony, after his appearance led to a conspiracy theory that a makeup artist had impersonated him.