Summary
A genius sequel pitch for Jim Carrey’sBruce Almightyhas come to light, and I’m pretty bummed that it never became a reality. The original 2003 film, which saw Carrey’s character (the titular Bruce) gain God’s (Morgan Freeman’s) powers, was a smash hit, bringing in $485 million at the global box office.Bruce Almighty’s success quickly inspired a unique sequel idea starring Carrey, but the pitch never came to anything. Instead,Evan Almightyhit theaters in 2007, ending the franchise with a box office bomb. Based on what we know about the Carrey pitch, things might have gone very differently.
Another ofCarrey’s defining movies,Bruce Almightyhit theaters with already mixed reviews, but the film quickly took off both domestically and internationally. With a budget of only $81 million, Universal made back more money than it could ever have hoped for, ultimately making a sequel inevitable. As it was, the movie’s screenwriters,Steve Koren and Mark O’Keefe, already had their perfect pitch by the timeBruce Almightyreleased. They presented the idea to producer Michael Bostick in 2003 and later brought it to Universal with Carrey’s full support. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant to be.
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Jim Carrey Wanted To Make Bruce Almighty 2 With A Devilish Twist
Brucifer Would Have Turned Bruce Almighty On Its Head
Koren and O’Keefe’s idea, which had Carrey’s hearty blessing, would have seenBruce gain Satan’s power rather than God’sin amovie they hilariously dubbed “Brucifer.“According to these screenwriters, the film would have picked up following the death of Bruce’s girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston). Angry at God and life in general, Carrey’s character would then make a literal deal with the devil that would grant him the power to bring Grace back to life.
Carrey and his manager fully supported the sequel idea, with the actor offering up the idea of a zombified Aniston. Unfortunately, by the time the idea got before Universal,Evan Almightyhad already tanked at the theaters—and this is really a shame.Bruciferwould have been far more in line withBruce Almighty. The tone might have been different, butthe formula that made Carrey’s 2003 hit so much fun would have again been present. It would have been more of the chaotic brand of comedy that Carrey is so known for, and I’ll forever be disappointed we didn’t get to see it.
Why Jim Carrey Didn’t Return For Bruce Almighty 2
Jim Carrey Rarely Returns For Sequels (But He Makes Some Exceptions)
The fact that theBruce Almightyactor agreed to return forBruciferis especially frustrating sinceCarrey famously doesn’t return for sequels. Once upon a time, Carrey signed back on for sequels of some of his most famous movies, such asAce VenturaandDumb and Dumber, but they simply didn’t perform. He has since said that “sequels have a diminishing return” and only makes exceptions in rare circumstances, such as with theSonic the Hedgehogmovie franchise. Still, since Carrey was reportedly willing to return forBrucifer, it seems this sequel was among those exceptions.
We can only guess whyBruce Almighty 2was only brought to Universal afterEvan Almighty. Perhaps Carrey wasn’t as gung-ho for the project as Koren and O’Keefe implied. I would guess that,as hilarious as theBruciferpitch sounds, someone thought thatEvan Almightywould be a safer bet, and since this idea didn’t involve Carrey, the actor moved on. Of course, Universal’s choice of sequel didn’t work out in the end.
Bruce Almighty’s Actual Sequel Was A Major Let Down
Brucifer Could Have Been So Much Better Than Evan Almighty
Koren and O’Keefe have said that they pitched theirBruciferidea to producers the dayBruce Almightypremiered, but the idea didn’t get past Bostick at the time. Instead, the pair wrote the script forEvan Almighty, starring Steve Carell, which got the green light and was released in 2007. Unfortunately, the film was a massive disappointment,only bringing in $147 million globally compared to a $175 million budget.
The PGEvan Almightywas far more family-friendly, something that certainly wouldn’t have been true for a project that would have seen Jim Carrey use Satanic powers to bring Jennifer Aniston back from the dead.
Evan Almightycouldn’t have been more different from Koren and O’Keefe’s originalBruce Almighty2pitch. The PG film was far more family-friendly, something that certainly wouldn’t have been true for a project that would have seenJim Carrey use Satanic powersto bring Jennifer Aniston back from the dead. Of course,Bruce Almightyitself hadn’t been a family movie, further proving thatBruciferwas probably a better follow-up pitch. Unfortunately, we can’t change the decisions of those who madeEvan Almightyhappen rather thanBrucifer. Still,I have to wonder what could have been.
Bruce Almighty
Cast
Bruce Almighty is a 2003 comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac, featuring Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a discontented television reporter who challenges God’s competence. Morgan Freeman portrays God, who endows Bruce with divine powers to teach him a lesson. Jennifer Aniston co-stars as Bruce’s girlfriend, Grace. The film explores themes of responsibility and human frailty through a humorous and fantastical narrative.
