Jim Carrey Makes Huge Grinch Announcement!

It seems hard to believe, but we are just weeks away from Christmas! That means that millions of people will soon be decorating trees, singing carols, and watching their favorite holiday movies. One of the most classic holiday movies out there is How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which is based on the 1957 book by Dr. Seuss.

Over the years, How the Grinch Stole Christmas has been turned into several movies. The first film was an animated version of the book, which was released in 1966 and narrated by Boris Karloff. Then, in 2000, Universal took the story and gave it a humorous turn when they cast Jim Carrey as the titular Christmas-hating green guy.

Most recently, in 2018, Universal and Illumination teamed up to create a new, animated version of the film, which starred the voice work of Dr. Strange star, Benedict Cumberbatch.

Recently, the rumor mill went crazy when it began circulating that Universal was making a sequel to the 2000 Jim Carrey film. The reports even said that Jim Carrey would be returning to reprise his role!

However, it appears that those rumors had nothing to them. Jim Carrey heard about the rumors and had his rep release a statement saying that he will NOT be appearing in a sequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Carrey’s rep denied the claims in a statement to PEOPLE.

Despite reports online claiming a sequel to 2000’s live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas was in the works with Carrey attached to return, a rep for the actor tells PEOPLE those reports are inaccurate.

“There is no truth to Jim reprising his role as the Grinch in a sequel to The Grinch,” Carrey’s rep said.

A spokesperson for Universal Pictures did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The news that Carrey might be returning was a surprise to many people. In 2022, after appearing in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Carrey announced that he would be returning from acting. When asked if he was being serious, he said that he was “fairly serious.”

“It depends,” he explained. “If the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink, that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road. But I’m taking a break.”

Carreywent on to stress how he has enjoyed life out of the spotlight, making art and spending time with his family.

In the past, Carrey has also voiced his distaste for sequel films, although he did appear in sequels to Dumb & Dumber (1994), Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), and Sonic the Hedgehog (2020).

Speaking to CinemaBlend in 2017, the actor said: ‘I find sequels are a function of commerce for the most part. 

‘At least the two I’ve done, they were characters I enjoyed doing, but I did find myself almost parroting myself at that point.

‘When you put 10 years between you and the last time you did it, suddenly you’re going, ‘How did I do that again?’… So, you’re imitating your original inspiration.’

In addition to Jim Carrey, How the Grinch Stole Christmas also starred Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who, Christine Baranski as Martha May Whovier, Bill Irwin as Cindy’s dad, Lou Lou Who, Molly Shannon as Cindy’s mother Betty Lou Who, and Jeffrey Tambor as May Who, the mayor of Whoville.

While the film may have come out more than 20 years ago, fans still love watching a live-action Grinch. Both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure celebrate Grinchmas every year. Sections of the theme parks are transformed into Whoville, complete with a massive Christmas tree, a reenactment of the classic Seuss tale, and a Grinch meet and greet!

Grinchmas at Universal’s Islands of Adventure will run daily from November 17 through December 31. An additional ticket is not needed to experience the holiday delight. Over at Universal Studios Hollywood, guests can celebrate Grinchmas from November 24 through December 31.

Would you love to see a How the Grinch Stole Christmas sequel? Let us know in the comments!