Filmmaker Daniel Kwan revealed in an interview that actor Jim Carrey once reached out to him and pitched the idea of making a found-footage horror film on the set of the 2014 movie Dumb and Dumber To.
Dumb and Dumber series starred Carrey and Jeff Daniels, two silly best friends who go on a cross-country escapade and return with a bag full of money that is supposed to be a ransom. The sequel came out in 2014, which was equally hilarious yet never surpassed the charm of the original film.
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Dumb And Dumber Director Reveals Jim Carrey Pitched A Strange Horror Film
In a roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kwan shared that Carrey got the idea of the pitch from his own experience in the production of the first movie.
“He had just seen Paranormal Activity and was like, ‘Guys, it’s found footage, and it’s horror — have you seen it?’ And we were like, ‘Uh-huh, we’ve heard of it. Where is this going?’ And he was like, ‘I haven’t seen anyone do that — but with comedy. And I have this great idea.”
Jim Carrey suggested that they were going to shoot Dumb and Dumber To, and suddenly strange things would happen on the set, like doors swinging, things breaking, and people getting hurt. Later on, they will make that into a found-footage behind-the-scenes video that will slowly turn into a horror film.
Kwan and his creative partner, Daniel Scheinert, took an interest in the idea and started coming up with an outline. They tried to present the script to the producers, but they declined.
“We pitched the idea, and they’re like, ‘We’re not actually going to make this. I’m sorry, Jim got really excited, but there’s no way the studio is going to let us do a movie while they’re shooting Dumb and Dumber To.’”
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The concept was, indeed, a perfect project for the Daniels since they are known for directing offbeat and bizarre films. Fans would remember them in the 2016 Swiss Army Man starring Daniel Radcliffe, a corpse found on the shore and used as a device for survival. They also created Everything Everywhere All at Once with actress Michelle Yeoh, a laundromat owner who suddenly finds her calling in life as a savior of the world.
During the time Carrey pitched the strange idea, the Daniels were just starting out in their career. It was considerate of the actor to trust them for such a wild yet brave concept. Their eccentric style of filmmaking is also evident in other projects, such as various artists’ music videos.
Carrey, on the other hand, is also interested in a Bruce Almighty sequel in which his titular character would possess the powers of the devil instead of god.
Dumb And Dumber To is available to watch via Prime Video, Apple TV, and Netflix.
Source: Screen Rant
