Allllrighty then! A new rumor has emerged claiming that Ace Ventura 3 is in the works, with X-Men star Evan Peters reportedly being sought after to take over as the hugely popular pet detective. Originally portrayed by Jim Carrey, the idea is to bring in Peters as the son of Carrey’s character, who, much like his father, has an affinity for animals, Hawaiian shirts, and giant, pompadour styled hairdos.
While there is very little more information regarding a proposed Ace Ventura 3, this rumor does come from a fairly reliable source, and while Evan Peters has never quite shown the manic energy or rubber-faced delights of a comic of Carrey’s calibre, his potential as the son of Ace Ventura is immediately clear. Evans’ star is undeniably on the rise at the moment thanks to his role in several big franchises such as X-Men and American Horror Story, as well as his mysterious role in the Disney+ Marvel series, WandaVision, making him prime Hollywood real estate and an inspired choice to lead an Ace Ventura sequel.
Audiences first laid eyes on Ace Ventura way back in 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Starring Jim Carrey as the zany title character, Ace is hired by the Miami Dolphins when their dolphin mascot, Snowflake, is suddenly abducted. Soon Miami Dolphins players begin disappearing too, including star player Dan Marino, played by himself, making Ace’s sleuth work even more pressing. Working with Dolphins representative Melissa Robinson, Ace gradually closes in on the culprits, but not before uttering many ludicrously quotable catchphrases along the way.
Directed by Tom Shadyac from a screenplay he wrote with Jack Bernstein and Jim Carrey, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective co-stars Courteney Cox, Tone Loc, Sean Young, and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino and features a cameo appearance from death metal band Cannibal Corpse. The movie was a huge success, grossing $107.2 million against a $15 million budget, launching Carrey into the A-list stratosphere along with The Mask and Dumb and Dumber, all of which were released that same year.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective quickly spawned a sequel, 1995’s Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, which found the private investigator being summoned to Africa to locate a missing bat, which happens to be the one creature he despises. Another huge financial success, neither the sequel nor its predecessor was particularly well-liked by critics, but both movies have since found huge popularity among general audiences, with the character remaining one of Carrey’s most beloved creations.
Should Evan Peters be brought in as Ace Ventura’s son, this would not be the first time that such an approach has been tried. Released in 2009, Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective stars Josh Flitter as Ace Ventura Jr., the son of Ace Ventura, who must follow in his father’s footsteps in order to save his mother from going to jail. A low-rent made-for-TV cash-in, Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective had zero involvement from either Jim Carrey or writer Steve Oedekerk, and the fact that you’ve never heard of it before now tells you everything you need to know about its quality.
While this all remains a rumor for now, there is no doubt that we could all use a little bit of Ace Ventura in or lives. This comes to us from Giant Freakin Robot.