Jim Carrey has been kicking around an idea for a sequel to the Pete Weir directed film, The Truman Show. The actor, known for blockbuster comedies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, has done a handful of sequels, some more well received than others. The Ace Ventura sequel wasn’t as big of a hit as the first film, and Dumb and Dumber To – which reunited him with Dumb and Dumber co-star Jeff Daniels – was panned by critics and moviegoers. Recently, Carrey said he would only do a sequel to 1994’s The Mask if a “crazy visionary filmmaker” was attached. Reluctance to star in a sequel doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking about them though.
The Truman Show follows Truman Burbank (Carrey) as he discovers he’s the main character on a hit reality TV show that’s broadcast live to millions around the world without his knowledge. He learns the world has literally watched him grow up for the past thirty years, and the revelation shakes him to his core. Truman’s world continues to unravel as he uncovers hidden cameras, disgruntled actors posing as his friends, and that his true love was “written off” the show and replaced. The finale sees Truman confront the man behind the scenes, played by Ed Harris, and then walk out of the studio and into the real world for the first time.
Recently, Carrey’s been doing the rounds promoting Sonic the Hedgehog, in which he plays Dr. Ivo Robotnik. He stopped in at Collider to talk about the video game adaptation, and they asked him about a Truman Show sequel. “I think The Truman Show is something that exists on a micro level now,” Carrey says, “It was kind of a story about that on a macro level. But now everybody has a subscriber channel. Everybody has their own little Truman Show world.” Back in 1998, when the film was released, reality TV was still pretty new. MTV’s The Real World, came out in 1992, but globally successful franchise Big Brother was still a year away.
Now, as Carrey notes, anyone can have their own reality show thanks to services like YouTube, Twitch and Instagram. “There’s something to be had there,” the actor continues, “I often think, and am asked about, what would have happened to Truman when he goes outside the wall. It took me a while to realize that basically, he was alone out there, too, because everybody went back inside. They all wanted to be in the dome.” Carrey has a point, and the beginnings of a fairly depressing continuation of Truman’s story.
There’s been no talk of making a sequel to The Truman Show outside of Carrey’s comments, but the idea certainly seems perfectly suited for today’s social media-obsessed world. It could be a strong vehicle for the actor, who has demonstrated an incredible gift for handling less-comedic characters in the Showtime series Kidding, where he plays a children’s TV show host in the midst of a mental breakdown. In the meantime, Carrey’s back to playing sillier roles in movies like Sonic the Hedgehog, which speeds into theaters on February 14, 2020.
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