Jim Carrey and Ron Howard are making a How the Grinch Stole Christmas sequel

Jim Carrey is in talks to reprise his role as the Grinch in a sequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with Ron Howard returning to direct. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news — the deal isn't locked yet, but the project is in active development.

Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and David Mandel are writing the script. All three worked on Curb Your Enthusiasm and the 2003 live-action The Cat in the Hat adaptation; Berg also co-showran HBO's Barry with Bill Hader. Plot details are under wraps for now, though more information could surface by next spring — right around when Carrey will be promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 4, due in March 2027. Back in 2024, Carrey told ComicBook.com he was open to returning: "If we could figure out the Grinch... with motion capture and things like that, I could be free to do other things. Anything is possible in this world."

The original 2000 film put Carrey through a brutal process — two and a half hours in the makeup chair every day, a costume partly made from yak hair, a prosthetic nose that made breathing difficult, and colored contacts that cut his vision. He suffered panic attacks on set, and the production eventually hired a Navy SEAL consultant to help him endure the conditions. Carrey has compared the experience to being buried alive.

Whether the sequel goes the motion capture route or sticks with practical makeup is still undecided. Either way, with a director, a writing team, and a willing lead already in place, the Grinch looks set to steal Christmas again before too long.