Just when you thought Christmas was safe, the Grinch is reportedly suiting up once more.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Universal and Imagine Entertainment are development a sequel How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the live-action adaptation of the 1957 children's book by Dr. Seuss.
While sequel announcements are often met with skepticism, there's reason for optimism with this one. Jim Carrey is in talks to return as the titular mean one.
On the production side, Ron Howard is also set to return to the director's chair. Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13) also directed the 2000 film. He will produce alongside his Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer.
The original How the Grinch Stole Christmas ended on a happy note, with the reformed curmudgeon joining the Whos of Whoville for Christmas dinner, and his heart, famously, three sizes bigger. Given the neat little bow wrapped around the original story, it's unclear what sort of story the sequel will tell. But Alec Berg (Barry, Silicon Valley, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jeff Schaffer (Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness; Dave; Curb Your Enthusiasm) and David Mandel (Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm) — the trio who also worked on the 2003 Seuss adaption The Cat in the Hat starring Mike Myers — are tasked with penning the script.
It's possible the movie could adapt Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Lost Christmas!, the official sequel story released in 2023. Set one year after the events of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, it follows the reformed Grinch as he tries to prove to the Whos that he loves Christmas by building the most spectacular tree in Whoville.
Despite little to no details about this new project, the fact that Carrey is suiting up as the Grinch once again should be enough to lift some holiday spirits. The original live-action movie released ahead of Thanksgiving in 2000, and went on to become the top movie of the year domestically with $260 million. It would go on to earn $345 million worldwide.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is one of the most popular classic Christmas stories of all time. The heartwarming holiday story has spawned numerous adaptations, though the 2000 movie is the only live-action version.
Though it received mixed reviews from critics, general audiences embraced it. It's now widely considered a modern Christmas classic, and has become a holiday staple for many families, having cracked Nielsen's top 10 most streamed holiday movies in each of the past five years.