The Mask Creator Wants To Do A Female-Led Remake

Jim Carrey fans will remember the 1994 madcap comedy The Mask, which starred the actor at the height of his powers as lowly everyman Stanley Ipkiss, who turns into a green-faced live-action cartoon character when he dons a mystical mask. It was a huge hit at the time, but what’s not widely known is that the film was a loose adaptation of a Dark Horse Comics series.

The Mask franchise has been dormant on screen ever since 2005’s belated sequel Son of the Mask, starring Jamie Kennedy in place of Carrey, flopped hard, but it seems that it might be making a return in the near future and will go in a fresh new direction. Creator Mike Richardson revealed to Forbes recently that he has an actress in mind to star in a female-led reboot, teasing:

“I’d like to see a really good physical comedian [in the role]. 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.”

Anyone who’s read the original Dark Horse comics will know that they’re much darker than the Carrey movie. Whereas the Mask on screen is a loveable prankster, the comic version is driven to use his reality-warping powers to avenge everyone who’s ever treated him poorly. If a new movie did come about, getting back to the heart of what he was trying to say with his original comics is something Richardson would be keen to do.

“I’d like it to be another character film about a person dealing with absolute power. The whole theme of ‘The Mask’ was we all say what we would do if we had absolute power, just like Stanley Ipkiss. When we get absolute power, we often resort to the most petty of endeavors and it’s overcoming our human nature and using the power for good.”

With R-rated comic book movies becoming more fashionable – see Deadpool and the upcoming Joker – the time might actually be right for a darker reboot for The Mask. Would you be into seeing it, though? And which actress could replace Carrey? Let us know in the comments section down below.