On October 26, 1994, France discovered a funny cartoon character with a green face: The Mask!
After 3.7 million admissions, France received its lead actor, Jim Carrey. The actor would later become the king of comedy in the 90s, with success after success, from Dumb and Dumber to Ace Ventura with Disjoncté or The Truman Show.
Globally, The Mask grossed $351 million on a budget of just $23 million! Despite this triumph, a sequel with Jim Carrey would never see the light of day. However, we were able to follow the adventures of Stanley Ipkiss and his mask in an animated series that aired in France in 1996-1997.
A sequel to The Mask was announced in 2005, but Jim Carrey was not a part of it. Titled The Son of the Mask, this second episode introduces Tim Evers, played by Jamie Kennedy. The latter is a cartoonist who leads an ordinary life. One day he discovers a magical mask that transforms his existence.
Unfortunately, this sequel will be a complete miss and won’t attract the masses. In France, it will only attract 330,000 viewers, a far cry from the first opus’ 3.7 million. Internationally, The Son of the Mask would be a bitter commercial failure, collecting a paltry $59 million against an $84 million budget!
An unprecedented flop
Rated 0.9 out of 5 by AlloCiné viewers, the film does not spare the critics. Not only does the work suffer from the absence of Jim Carrey, but his “dirty” special effects do nothing to compensate.
After this monumental mishap, we’ll never hear about a sequel to this monument of comedy that is The Mask… until 2019. Mike Richardson, co-creator of the original comic, floats the idea of a female reboot on the mic. Forbes.
“I want to see a big slapstick actor in this role. I have one in mind, but I’m not going to name it. We have to convince this actor to play the role, so we’ll see. You can. You never know what the future holds. We have ideas.”He confided at that time.
“One of the great things about the mask is that anyone can wear it. You can do a story with anyone and you can cast anyone.”, he added. After 4 years it is clear that this project never saw the light of day.
Is Jim Carrey back?
In 2020, Jim Carrey was interviewed by ComicBook.com about a potential sequel to the film that made him a comedic superstar. The latter is then a full promotion for Sonic, featuring him as the big bad Dr. Robotnik.
“I never think about sequels or anything like that. It would be justified with Sonic because we haven’t developed the character of Robotnik yet. For a movie like The Mask, I think it would be up to the director of the movie. I don’t want to do it just for the sake of doing it. But I would only do it if it was a crazy vision, certainly from a cinematic point of view.”she said.
Emmanuel Curtil, Jim Carrey’s VF, doubles as The Mask for our Voix Ouf show
These words are in line with what he will do two years later, explaining that he will probably retire very soon. However, he could take on new projects if fans demand it. “If it’s really important to the community that I do it, I might consider continuing. But here I am taking a break.”He told media Access Hollywood about it.
“I really love my quiet little life. I paint and I live a spiritual life that I adore. And I’m going to tell you something that no famous person would ever dare to say: I’ve had enough. I’ve done enough. I can.” no more”Added Jim Carrey, whose last appearance on the big screen is in 2022’s Sonic 2.
If a sequel to The Mask isn’t relevant, Jim Carrey isn’t closing the door on a return to the Green Creature skin. Everything is still possible! ssssssssss beautiful!
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
