David Alan Grier rejected Ace Ventura: Pet Detective because of the “bad script”.
Actor David Alan Grier
However, the 69-year-old actor regrets not starring in the 1994 comedy-mystery movie because it became a major success – grossing $107.2 million at the global box office on a low budget – which Grier credits its leading man Jim Carrey, 64, for.
During a recent appearance on NBC’s Today with Jenna + Sheinelle, Grier admitted: “I passed on it because it was a bad script.
“What I didn’t see is what Jim saw, which was, ‘Can I do anything?’
“They said, ‘Yeah.’ So he had total freedom. He took that script, and he reinvented it. And that’s why it was so successful.”
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective sees Carrey portray the eccentric titular character, who is hired to track down Snowflake, the kidnapped dolphin mascot of the Miami Dolphins football team.
The film launched Carrey’s career on the big screen, and he was paid $5 million to star in a sequel, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, a year later.
And in April 2022, the comedian revealed what it would take to convince him to star in a third Ace Ventura film.
Carrey told E! News: “I think after the fact, when there’s been a lot of years, unless some genius person, director, auteur comes to you with a completely new take on what’s going on, you know.
“If Chris Nolan came to me and said, ‘I want to make Ace Ventura real, and I want to do something, you know, something more interesting’… then I might listen.
“But for the most part, you know, after a certain time there’s not one cell in your body that is that person anymore, so you end up just imitating what you did in the old days and the original inspiration isn’t there.”
In March 2021, it was reported that a third Ace Ventura movie was coming.
Morgan Creek, the production company that owns the rights to the character, told Park Circus: “We’re pretty excited about our franchise developments with Exorcist and the Ace Ventura franchise – it’s noticeable from the 3 million fans chatting on the official Facebook page for Ace Ventura that audiences are clamouring for a third instalment…
“During COVID, audiences have been in love and are thrilled to have beloved characters brought back with new stories. Ace Ventura will see a new day at Amazon as a major motion picture/theatrical with the Sonic the Hedgehog writers.”
There has been no release date for the supposed Ace Ventura 3 – which would see Carrey join forces with writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller following Sonic the Hedgehog.