Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are set to reprise their iconic roles as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne for Dumb and Dumber 3. According to reliable sources, the stars of the original 1994 Farrelly Brothers film will be returning as the dimwitted but good-natured friends for a third installment. This aligns with a recent trend where Jim Carrey has shown an unexpected interest in sequels to his movies from decades ago.
Dumb and Dumber 3 is expected to continue the story after the events of 2014’s Dumb and Dumber To, which marked the return of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels to their iconic roles for the first time since the original. While the sequel didn’t generate the same cultural buzz as the original, it managed to make a decent $169 million with a $50 million budget, making it financially viable for a third movie. Despite lacking critical acclaim, the Dumb and Dumber franchise’s recognizable name makes Dumb and Dumber 3 a commercially viable project.
Dumb and Dumber To is expected to serve as a basis for Dumb and Dumber 3, but it wasn’t the first attempt to extend the original movie. In 2003, the prequel Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd featured Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen in the roles of Carrey and Daniels. While it made $39 million at the box office, the absence of involvement from the Farrellys, Jim Carrey, and Jeff Daniels likely contributed to the lukewarm reception of the prequel, which didn’t lead to a revival of the series at that time.
Before the prequel, there was a peculiar turn for Dumb and Dumber as it was transformed into an animated children’s show in 1995, running for 13 episodes on ABC. This was part of a trend attempting to adapt adult-oriented Jim Carrey movies, such as The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, into children’s entertainment through animation.
So, to put it simply, Dumb and Dumber 3 doesn’t have to be a cinematic masterpiece as a sequel. Jim Carrey, despite talking about possible retirement, seems eager to dive into a bunch of new films. Surprisingly, after avoiding sequels for years, he’s now involved in sequels to How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Bruce Almighty. Looks like he’s fully embracing a new wave of movies.
Whether the Farrelly Brothers will be part of Dumb and Dumber 3 is uncertain. At the very least, they might get producer credits for the movie. It’s interesting to see Jim Carrey revisiting his older, sillier characters, and let’s hope he can capture that magic once again.
