Jim Carrey is in talks to reteam with director Ron Howard and Universal Pictures on a sequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, their modern holiday classic adapting the 1957 children’s book by Dr. Seuss, Deadline can confirm.

Currently untitled, the sequel’s plot is being kept under wraps. But Carrey will of course reprise the title role. Alec Berg (Barry, Silicon Valley), Jeff Schaffer (Life, Larry and The Pursuit of Unhappiness, Dave) and David Mandel (Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm) will pen the script.

In addition to directing, Howard will produce alongside Brian Grazer for Imagine Entertainment, with CEO Susan Brandt overseeing the project for Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Senior Vice President of Production Development and Special Projects Britt Hennemuth and Creative Executive Christina Hoffrogge are overseeing the project for Universal.

An enduring holiday classic, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas follows a grumpy green recluse who sets out to ruin Christmas for the Whos of Whoville, only to undergo a profound change of heart. The tale dates to 1957, inspired in part by Seuss (aka Theodore Geisel)’s own unhappiness over the increasing commercialization of Christmas. The story was first adapted for the screen in 1966 in the form of an animated TV special airing on CBS with actor Boris Karloff serving as both narrator and the voice of The Grinch. Carrey brought The Grinch into live-action with the 2000 film, which marked the first full-length feature ever to adapt the work of iconic children’s author, Seuss. Pic opened in more than 3,200 theaters on November 18, 2000 and spent four weeks at the top of the U.S. box-office charts, going on to gross more than $345 worldwide. The film ranked as the year’s highest-grossing, domestically, and was nominated for two Academy Awards, winning for Best Makeup.

Carrey’s return for a sequel comes as a surprise, as he’d been vocal about his discomfort with the prosthetics required by the original film. He equated the application process to being “buried alive” and leaned on SEAL Team Six’s Richard Marcinko for techniques in coping with the shoot.

With the new Grinch movie, Universal and Dr. Seuss Enterprises build on a longstanding partnership that spans films, consumer products, promotions, and theme parks. Uni and Illumination teamed on a 3D animated adaptation of The Grinch, which grossed over $552M global in 2019, with the animated The Lorax being one of Uni’s other high-profile Seuss adaptations. The studio just re-released How the Grinch Stole Christmas in theaters for its 25th anniversary on December 12, 2025.

Carrey has been in big IP territory for a number of years now, with his role as Dr. Robotnik in the Sonic the Hedgehog films from Paramount. Upcoming, he’ll star in a live-action take on The Jetsons for Warner Bros.

Howard is coming off Alone at Dawn, an upcoming war drama starring Adam Driver, Anne Hathaway and Betty Gilpin that he directed for Amazon MGM.

THR was first to report on the Grinch sequel.