There are certain roles actors can look forward to tackling as they get older. King Lear, for the Shakespearean fan. The President tends to come to most careers. Ebenezer Scrooge is also an inevitability. Jim Carrey, never one to stick with tradition, is going ahead and trying his hand at Scrooge despite his younger age. Of course, he’ll get a little help from Robert Zemeckis’s creepy CG-animation style.

According to Empire Online, Carrey will headline a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol brought to life by Zemeckis. The director will utilize the same motion capture CG-animation technique that has become his sole means of expression lately. Zemeckis used the technology for The Polar Express in 2004 and for the upcoming Beowulf. In fact, the last time Zemeckis helmed a movie with actual humans appearing on screen was at the turn of the century.

Although the end product will be animated, this motion capture style means Carrey will provide more than just the voice for his rendition of Scrooge. He’ll also be responsible for the performance as a whole. It’ll just be animated pixels on screen instead of Carrey’s flesh and blood. Still, this pits Carrey against notable Scrooge performances from actors like Michael Caine and Patrick Stewart. If Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events is any indication, he’s not up to the task.

Also potentially appearing in Zemeckis’s Christmas Carol? It appears the director may reteam with his Who Framed Roger Rabbit? star for a small role. Bob Hoskins has been asked to play Fezziwig, young Scrooge’s boss. Hoskins sounds enthused about the project, but then he was willing to act opposite toons before, so this should be a piece of cake by comparison.