Jim Carrey has been making some headlines of late. Part of that is due to his outspoken views on the whole Will Smith/Chris Rock situation, but some of that has been because the comedian and actor has been hinting pretty strongly that he’s considering retirement. It’s an interesting time for Jim Carrey to be talking about leaving acting, because his new movie that is just about to open is the second Sonic the Hedgehog film, a franchise that we already know is getting Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
So if we get a Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but Jim Carrey decides to retire, what will happen? Will the series simply recast the role and get somebody else to play Dr. Robotnik? On the “blue carpet” at the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 premiere, producers Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher were asked by IGN about the possibility of Carrey retiring, and Ascher made it clear that whatever Jim Carrey decides, he’s welcome to return to these films for as long as he wants. Ascher said…
Jim Carrey is always a member of the Sonic family and he will always have a place in these movies and TV shows as long as he'd like to be around. We love Jim and he's so special, and what he does with Robotnik is so incredible, we would love him as long as he would like to be there with us.
But what if Jim Carrey does decide that he wants to retire from acting? Is there a plan in place for what to do with the Robotnik role if that happens? It doesn’t sound like there is, if for no other reason than the producers aren’t so sure that Carrey will want to walk away from the role. Neal H. Moritz says that he thinks that the actor likes playing Robotnik so much that even if he was otherwise retired, there’s a good chance they could talk him into returning to this franchise for future instalments. Moritz said…
I have a feeling that he loves Robotnik so much that I don't think he'll be able to walk away from that.
When the producers were pressed on the idea, however, they did admit that if and when they were forced to make a choice on how to proceed with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise without Jim Carrey, they would not consider recasting the role. Neal H. Moritz put it very simply…
Why would you even try?
Jim Carrey has certainly made the role of Dr. Robotnik his own, and it’s difficult to imagine somebody else taking it over in a future film. It would have to be a complete reinvention of the character, which could work, but could just as easily fall flat for fans who, based on the box office results for the first Sonic the Hedgehog, liked everything about it. And based on the early notices from critics on Sonic the Hedgehog 2, fans are only going to get more of what they loved the first time around. If Jim Carrey really does like playing the role, then there’s every reason to believe he will return, even if he decides to otherwise retire.
