If you think it took a long time to get a sequel to Anchorman going, Peter and Bobby Farrelly would like to have a word with you.
The two brothers have tried to make a sequel to their classic 1994 comedy Dumb & Dumber for years, with star Jim Carrey very hesitant to make a sequel (he generally avoids sequels, generally with good reason. I mean, have you ever seen Son of the Mask, Evan Almighty, or Ace Ventura 3?) Though the pair has finally gotten Carrey and original co-star Jeff Daniels to agree to return for the sequel titled Dumb & Dumber To, the project has hit a major snag according to The Hollywood Reporter: Warner Bros., which owns New Line, isn’t willing to spend its money on the $30 million budget.
Most would probably be initially confused by this. After all, the original made nearly $250 million at the worldwide box office — and that’s in 1994 dollars! — and has since made millions more from DVD sales and constant airings on cable TV. But in 2013 this is all a different story. First, Carrey’s been on an incredibly bad streak over the last few years, with I Love You, Philip Morris, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone all vastly underperforming at the domestic box office (Philip Morris was barely even released). The Farrelly Brothers have had their share of failures also, with none of their films making more than $50 million in over a dozen years. And as great as Jeff Daniels is as an actor it’s not like he’s ever been a major box office draw.
Warner Bros. is allowing the Farrellys to take the project to another studio. The plot involves Daniels’ character searching for his illegitimate daughter because he needs a kidney, which is such a potentially great setup that I would give them $30 million if I had it.
In a spot of good news, the latest word from Deadline is that Red Granite, a newer production company that put up the cash for The Wolf of Wall Street, is interested. If you want to see the sequel, better cross all your fingers. Hopefully some financier will step up to the plate because this is exactly the sort of project that would breathe new life into Carrey’s career.
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