Ace Ventura 3 to Be Unleashed

Proving yet again that no franchise is ever truly 'over,' Morgan Creek announced plans to resurrect the Ace Ventura series, which Jim Carrey turned into a brief cash machine in the mid-90s with his breakthrough Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and the next year's sequel, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. It may have been over a decade since the last Ace Ventura movie established Jim Carrey's career but The Hollywood Reporter announced today that Morgan Creek has hired Jeff Sank, Jason Heimberg, and Justin Heimberg to write a third adventure for Ace Ventura. (It takes three people?)

The trade publication reported that Ace Ventura 3 will center on Ace Ventura, Jr., making it easy to not get so much press about the fact that Jim Carrey is unlikely to come back and fill the pet detective's shoes. (Think Son of the Mask.) Brothers Jason and Justin Heimberg recently finished work on Unnatural History for Walt Disney Pictures and uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer and are finishing up Iguanas, an animated film for Vanguard Entertainment.

The first two Ace Ventura movies made $180 million domestically and yet you would think that the pattern of Jim Carrey-less sequels might make a third Ace Ventura adventure a risky proposition. The first Dumb & Dumber movie made $127 million and the Jim Carrey-less sequel Dumb & Dumberer? $26 million. The Mask with Jim Carrey? $120 million. Son of the Mask without Jim Carrey? $17 million. Oh well. We wish the makers of Ace Ventura 3 the best of luck. It looks like they might need it.

[Sources: Reuters, Box Office Mojo]