Jim Carrey isn’t a washed up actor, but he may play one on the big screen. THR reports that Carrey has decided to take the title role in the Summit Entertainment comedy “Ricky Stanicky.” According to Deadline.com, Carrey was circling the project for over a year; his final decision to sign on came when Steve Oedekerk (“Bruce Almighty,” “Ace Venture: When Nature Calls”) was attached to direct.
Carrey hasn’t had luck at the box office of late — he co-starred in the recent flop “Burt Wonderstone” — but “Ricky Stanicky” sounds like a hit waiting to happen. The film focuses on a trio of teenage friends who burn down their neighbor’s house by mistake and then blame the accident on the fictional Ricky Stanicky. Years later, as adults, the friends must conjure up Stanicky and hire a washed-up actor (Carrey) to play the part. THR compared the concept of “Ricky Stanicky” to “The Hangover.”
If “Ricky Stanicky” sounds familiar, it’s because Carrey isn’t the first big star attached to the title. Back in 2010, THR reported that James Franco was set to play Stanicky, but the project never materialized in that form. As the trade notes in the current report, Joaquin Phoenix was also discussed as a possibility before Carrey. Carrey has had a busy few weeks. He made a splash in March after producing an anti-gun video for Funny or Die.
