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Jim Carrey’s Career Kicked in the Shins as ‘Dumb & Dumber To’ Fumbles

Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey

"Dumb and Dumber To" has been kicked to the curb, making for the latest blow to Jim Carrey's career.

Warner Bros.' decision to pass on the "Dumb and Dumber" sequel comes hot on the heels of the box office failure of "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," a film that had a similar budget but grossed only $22 million domestically. Carrey received good reviews for his portrayal of a Criss Angel-like street magician but the film failed to connect with audiences.

Writer-directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly will have to look elsewhere in continuing the misadventures of Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey), as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that WB passed on giving the greenlight to "Dumb and Dumber To," the long in-development sequel to the 1994 hit comedy.

'Dumb and Dumber'
'Dumb and Dumber'

Warner Bros. apparently saw limited potential in the sequel (admittedly, it has been almost 20 years since the first film), even though the budget was pitched to be around $30 million. The writer-director sibling duo are shopping the project out to other studios, which finds Harry and Lloyd hitting the road in search of Harry's illegitimate daughter ... and completely ignores the much-reviled 2003 prequel, "Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd."

Carrey, a box office powerhouse who could command $20 million per film back in the '90s and early '00s, has been having a rough time of it lately. His last starring vehicle was "Mr. Popper's Penguins," which was released two years ago this month and only earned $68 million domestic on a budget of $55 million. Despite the fact that he's always an engaging performer and also does well in edgier projects such as "I Love You Phillip Morris" (2008) and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004), Carrey just doesn't have the mainstream appeal that he used to.

The 51-year-old actor will next be seen in a supporting role as mobster turned vigilante Colonel Stars and Stripes in "Kick-Ass 2," opening August 16. He is also set to star alongside Owen Wilson in a yet-to-be-titled bank heist comedy.

Meanwhile, Carrey's "Dumb and Dumber" pal Jeff Daniels is gearing up for Season Two of "The Newsroom," which premieres on HBO on July 14.