Jim Carrey in reportedly in talks to reprise his role as the Grinch in a sequel to the holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Ron Howard, who directed the original 2000 film, is attached to direct the untitled sequel, while Carrey is having discussions with Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment about joining the project.
Barry co-creator Alec Berg, Curb Your Enthusiasm writer Jeff Schaffer, and Veep writer David Mandel, who all previously teamed up for the 2003 Dr. Seuss adaptation The Cat in the Hat, are on board to write the film's script.
In a post shared on Instagram, Howard made the news official: "He's a mean one… 💚 A sequel to How The Grinch Stole Christmas is in development."
Carrey previously indicated that he had an incredibly rough time working on the original movie because of the makeup and prosthetics that went into bringing the character to life.
"When it came down to actually designing the Grinch to look like the Grinch, they had to put the tip of my nose on the top of the bridge of the Grinch's nose," Carrey explained in an interview with Vulture last year. "So, all of the rest of it was covered and I couldn’t breathe through my nose, and they had a real problem trying to get holes in the mask that could allow me to breathe through my nose. Ultimately, I ended up mouth-breathing through the entire movie."
Details regarding the plot of the sequel are being kept under wraps. The live-action 2000 film wasn’t the first time the classic Dr. Seuss story was adapted, as an animated version co-directed by Chuck Jones premiered on TV in 1966.
More recently, Universal Pictures produced the animated adaptation, The Grinch, in 2018. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and narrated by Pharrell Williams, the movie grossed $552 million worldwide on a $75 million budget.
The original film earned $260 million at the domestic box office, the most of any movie that year, and grossed $350 million worldwide. The film, which premiered to mixed reviews from critics, earned an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Carrey was also nominated for a Golden Globe thanks to his performance.
