What Did Jim Carrey Say About Joining 'The Grinch 2' Cast?

The Gist:

• Rumors have been swirling about The Grinch 2 and fans are excited.
• Jim Carrey gave his thoughts in the past about doing a Grinch sequel.
• Universal Studios hasn't confirmed that The Grinch 2 is being produced.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one of the most iconic Christmas movies, and modern audiences are very familiar with Jim Carrey's live-action Grinch. So familiar that when rumors began to circulate about a sequel called The Grinch 2, buzz spread throughout the internet and audiences began asking if Jim was going to play the title role again.

Jim's performance as The Grinch was beloved by critics and audiences when How the Grinch Stole Christmas was released in 2000. The actor earned a Golden Globe nomination for his high-energy take on Dr. Seuss's anti-Christmas curmudgeon, with CNN commenting that "Carrey was born to play this role." But that would be enough for Jim to star in The Grinch 2? Continue reading to find out what he has said about the sequel.

Although media reports began circulating in November 2023 that The Grinch 2 was happening and Jim would play the Grinch for a second time, Christmas movie fans will be disappointed to learn that the reports are false. Jim's representative told People, "There is no truth to Jim reprising his role as the Grinch in a sequel to The Grinch."

In fact, it's rare that Jim takes on the same movie role twice.

While he's also well-known for the two Ace Ventura films, he didn't make a sequel to Dumb and Dumber until 2014 — 20 years after the first movie.

He appeared as the villain Dr. Robotnik in both 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog and 2022's Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but wasn't mentioned as part of the Sonic 3 cast when that movie began shooting in August 2023.

Jim did star in another Dr. Seuss movie after How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In 2008, he lent his voice to Horton the Elephant in the animated film Horton Hears a Who!

But despite the hugely positive reception to his version of the Grinch and the accompanying box office success (with gross profits over $345 million), it's very clear that he has no interest in coming back for The Grinch 2. So could there be a sequel without him?

In 2018, Universal Pictures brought the Grinch back to animation with The Grinch, which had Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of the title character. That movie actually had a more successful opening than The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Deadline reported that it earned $67.6 million versus the 2000 film's receipts of $55.1 million.

That means it's not impossible to do a Grinch sequel without Jim Carrey ... but it's not actually happening.

Universal hasn't officially confirmed that The Grinch 2 is being produced. The studio hasn't said anything about developing a second movie at all. But that sounds like it's for the best since many viewers don't seem to be interested unless Jim is part of any Grinch sequel cast.

However, the Grinch lives on in his original format. In September 2023, Random House Children's Books released a book called How the Grinch Lost Christmas.

Alastair Heim wrote the story, which takes place one year after the events of Dr. Seuss's original How the Grinch Stole Christmas and focuses on the Grinch's attempt to impress Who-ville with the perfect Christmas tree. Aristides Ruiz provided the illustrations.

There might not be a Grinch sequel at the movies, but there's one on bookshelves this holiday season. And judging by the excitement surrounding the Jim Carrey rumors, there's still plenty of interest in the classic character.