The Mask franchise has laid dormant for many years, but in this era of reboots of familiar IPs, there’s suddenly been a renewed interest in the green-faced comic book character. Warner Bros. seems extremely keen on relaunching the brand across the board, as he’ll have a cameo in the upcoming Space Jam 2 and a new movie is also said to be in development. What’s more, the Mask could be getting his own TV show, too.
According to sources close to WGTC – the same ones who told us about the Space Jam 2 return, before leaked images and videos confirmed it – WB is working on a Mask animated series for HBO Max. What’s more, Jim Carrey may return to provide the voice of Stanley Ipkiss/his super-powered alter ego. Plot details are still unknown, but it’s said to be aimed at an adult audience.
Those who grew up in the 90s might remember the old cartoon show that spun out of the hit 1994 movie. In keeping with the film’s cartoon antics, this was a very family-friendly series that featured Rob Paulsen taking over Carrey’s role. In contrast, this HBO Max project sounds like it would go back to the much more mature Dark Horse comics that birthed the character. We’re even hearing that it’ll be pitched in a similar vein to DC Universe’s Harley Quinn.
A tone similar to the Kaley Cuoco-fronted series would definitely be right for The Mask, as it could marry the wild humor of the movie with all the violence and strong language an R-rating would allow, again similar to the original comics. As for whether Carrey would sign up for such a project, he did recently state that he’d play the part again if it was taken in a bold new direction, and this would surely fit that bill.
Obviously, this is just at the early development stage right now so anything could happen as things continue to progress, but it’s definitely sounding like The Mask is about to make his mark on our screens once again. Smokin’!