The Creator of ‘The Mask’ Wants to Do a Female-Led Reboot

Later this month, Jim Carrey’s The Mask will celebrate its 25th anniversary. To coincide with the occasion, the creator, Mike Richardson, of the original comic book version sat down for an interview with Forbes to talk about the film’s legacy. He also hinted that he’s thought about a reboot, and that he wants a female comedian to take on the titular role. 

“I’d like to see a really good physical comedian [in the role],” he explained. “I have one in mind, but I’m not gonna say her name. We have to do a lot of convincing for this particular actor, but we’ll see … You never know what’s coming in the future. We have some ideas.” Richardson acknowledged that whoever takes on the Carrey’s iconic portrayal of Stanley Ipkiss and the Mask will have some big shoes to fill, but he’s got a lot of ideas for a new film.

“I’d like it to be another character film about a person dealing with absolute power,” Richardson added. “The whole theme of The Mask was we all say what we would do if we had absolute power, just like Stanley Ipkiss. When we get absolute power, we often resort to the most petty of endeavors and it’s overcoming our human nature and using the power for good. Stan Lee said, ‘with great power comes great responsibility,’ but my thing is an older axiom, which is ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely.'”

With the success that Deadpool had taking on a darker, more R-rated approach, now seems like the perfect time to adapt The Mask as the gritty tale it once was as a comic. Dark Horse, who published the original run of The Mask, will be publishing a new series based on the character in the future.