Is Warner Bros. dusting off The Mask for another try?
The original Jim Carrey-led comedy film The Mask from 1994 (based on the much more unhinged comic book published by Dark Horse) was a genuine box office hit.
11 years later, came the mother of all cash-grab sequels, Son of the Mask. This critically-reviled follow-up starred the 00’s-era staple of cinematic hijinks, Jamie Kennedy, as another man who happens across the titular face wear. Son of the Mask was a massive flop and effectively killed the franchise. Or did it?
Is a New The Mask Sequel on Its Way?
Somebody stop them! A viral poster for a motion picture called The Mask 3: Return of Loki has been making the rounds online.
Said poster originated from the bastion for reliable news that is Facebook, on the page Jason Statham Fandom.
As most would be able to discern from the unnerving, plastic-looking imagery of actors Jim Carrey and Ryan Reynolds, this The Mask 3 poster seems to be an AI-generated forgery.
The Facebook post also contained a lengthy synopsis that was also very likely written by an AI and promised "slapstick humor" and "explosive action sequences" in this non-existent film.
There is no sequel or new installment to the Mask franchise in development as of writing.
Mike Richardson, the creator of The Mask comics, tried to get another adaptation off the ground in recent years though. In 2014, Richardson sat down with CBR to discuss plans of "reviving" the property, while also acknowledging some "false starts" experienced along the way:
"In fact, we're planning a whole line. We've been talking about reviving 'The Mask', both in film and in comics. We've had a couple of false starts. 'The Mask' has become something bigger than when we started. Of course, everyone remembers the original movie with Jim [Carrey] and Cameron [Diaz]. It's shown constantly on television, so there's that impression that people have of the character. There's also the comics version of the character that isn't necessarily the yellow zoot-suited film 'Mask.'"
Richardson indicated that the version of the character that audiences are accustomed to, which owes a lot to Jim Carrey’s rubbery, over-the-top performance in the 1994 film, is certainly not the way he is portrayed in the books.
Big Head, the name bestowed upon people who put on the titular Mask in the comics, is actually a far more bloodthirsty figure than he is in the movies. The Mask comics are typically quite gory and hyper-violent. A jarring counterpart to the Carrey film, which, while not 100% family-friendly, is decidedly bloodless.
Speaking of Jim Carrey, it feels unlikely that he would ever revisit the character in the first place. The actor has long been somewhat resistant to sequels. He has reprised Ace Ventura and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber and additionally brought back his Dr. Robotnik for two Sonic the Hedgehog sequels.
But to participate in a Mask follow-up, Carrey conceded to ComicBook.com that it "depends on a filmmaker:"
"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. 'The Mask' I think, myself, you know, it would depend on a filmmaker. It depends on a 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."
It should also be noted that Carrey did not return as Stanley Ipkiss in Son of the Mask.
At any rate, Jim Carrey has frequently indicated that his acting career is in the process of winding down, with retirement on the horizon for him. In 2022, he remarked, "Well, I’m retiring. Yeah, probably. I’m being fairly serious" (via Variety).
Without Carrey’s direct involvement as the draw, a The Mask sequel would, in all likelihood, quickly sputter.
The Mask and Son of the Mask can be purchased wherever movies are sold.
