What’s more surprising? That Hollywood is now reportedly thinkin’ about smacking the reboot button on the hugely beloved Ace Ventura franchise? Or that it’s taken them this long to get here?
The story here is that after around 30 years in the biz, production house Morgan Creek Productions is rebranding itself as Morgan Creek Entertainment Group, and is now looking at its fairly hefty back catalogue for properties they can update, reboot, and add to in order to wring as much cash from the dry, cracked sponge as they possibly can.
The back catalogue they amassed since coming into operation in 1988 features around 60 movies – 14 of which debuted number one at the box office – and includes the likes of Major League, Young Guns, and, most prominently, Ace Ventura.
For the proposed Ventura reboot, Morgan Creek president David Robinson stated that the company was looking at a “mainstream theatrical production relaunch,” meaning they’re aiming for the cinema with this one. But that’s not to say they’re limiting themselves to just that. Robinson also stated that TV is also a possibility for the franchise, stating “Because it’s episodic in nature, about a pet detective, it also lends itself to a traditional single-camera series franchise.”
Here’s where it gets really weird/kinda cooked.
Morgan Creek is interested in bringing Jim Carrey back to reprise arguably his most iconic role, but in a capacity that’s less “third stint behind the wheel,” as it is more “passing the torch to a younger actor.” Because, y’know, Carrey’s elastic magnetism is something that’s easily reproduced and this kind of torch-passing thing worked absolute gangbusters in other rebooted movie franchises like Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Foolproof plan, really.
Morgan Creek stated that, in the proposed new one, Carrey would be welcomed back for a “baton-handing” that would feature “a long-lost son or daughter of Ace possibly showing up at his doorstep and taking over.”
‘Course the whole thing more or less hinges on Carrey’s participation and it’s hard to imagine a version of Pet Detective with anyone but him as the lead.
It’s not like you’re gonna be able to just casually find anyone capable of reproducing something like the dolphin trainer scene.
And, on that, you can quote him.
