Jim Carrey and Ron Howard in talks for a Grinch sequel, 25 years after the live-action holiday hit

A green light for a green grouch

Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment confirmed on 18 June that a sequel to the 2000 Dr. Seuss adaptation is in development. Jim Carrey, now 64, is negotiating his return as the Christmas-hating Grinch, and Ron Howard would direct again, also producing alongside Brian Grazer. The untitled project was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter and later announced on Instagram by the studio and production company.

He gave me a litany of things that I could do when I began to spiral. Like punch myself in the leg as hard as I can. Have a friend who I trust and punch him in the arm. Eat everything in sight. Changing patterns in the room. If there's a TV on when you start to spiral, turn it off and turn the radio on. Smoke cigarettes as much as possible.

The trio of Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel (all Curb Your Enthusiasm alumni) will write the script. The same writers co‑penned the 2003 Seuss adaptation The Cat in the Hat. Susan Brandt, CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, is overseeing the project.

An Oscar‑winning original that almost broke its star

The 2000 film earned $345 million worldwide ($260 million domestic), making it the top‑grossing US release of that year. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, with Rick Baker and Gail Rowell‑Ryan turning Carrey into the furry green creature. The process initially took up to eight hours a day, and Carrey has said he wanted to quit on the first day of shooting and return his $20 million fee. He later worked with a consultant who had trained CIA agents in torture‑resistance techniques to endure the ordeal, and the makeup time was eventually cut to three hours daily.

Streaming keeps Whoville alive

Two and a half decades later, the film remains a fixture on holiday watchlists. In the two weeks around Christmas last year, it peaked at No. 2 on Nielsen's overall movie chart with 962 million minutes viewed, coming second only to Home Alone. It has placed in Nielsen's top 10 most‑streamed holiday films in each of the past five years.

Dr. Seuss's long screen history

The Grinch first appeared in Theodor Geisel's 1957 children's book, a story that CBS adapted into a 1966 animated special narrated by Boris Karloff. The 2000 live‑action version, Universal's 2018 Illumination animated feature, and now the planned sequel all trace their roots to that same book.

The sequel's plot is being kept under wraps, and no release window has been set. The deal with Carrey and Howard is not yet signed, but the announcement signals Universal's intent to revive a franchise that still draws massive audiences every December.