Jim Carrey Would Agree To Play The Mask Again Under One Condition

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.

Given that it's been a fair few 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 (as evidenced by its Rotten Tomatoes score). The problem is, that the comedy legend has been seemingly averse to the idea of reprising the role. But, in an interview 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 in the negative.

The topic of whether or not Jim Carrey would ever do a second "The Mask" movie came up in an interview with ComicBook.com in January 2020. Carrey expressed 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 [Dr. Eggman] fully yet." (Funnily enough, Carrey would be proven correct with the 2022 sequel "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," where his character gets a lot more to do.)

Carrey then went on to express that his interest in doing "The Mask 2" would depend on the filmmaker involved. "'The Mask I think, myself, you know, it would depend on a filmmaker. It depends on the filmmaker really. I don't want to do it just to do it. But I would only do it if it was some crazy visionary filmmaker. Sure," explained the rubber-faced star of "Dumb and Dumber" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."

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 (this time to promote, ironically enough, the sequel to "Sonic the Hedgehog"), he again said he would only want to return to his iconic character if a visionary helmer was directing it. Only this time, he named a specific filmmaker: Christopher Nolan.

From both answers, separated by two years, it's clear that Carrey isn't interested in doing any follow-ups to "The Mask" or "Ace Ventura" without some strong directorial vision.

"The Mask" franchise did receive a spin-off in the form of 2005's "Son of the Mask," which 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. "I'd like to see a really good physical comedian [in the role]," he stated. "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, a policeman named 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.

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.