I'm Still Upset Jim Carrey's Genius Sequel Pitch For This $480M Comedy Didn't Happen

A genius sequel pitch for Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty has 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 Almighty hit 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 of Carrey's defining movies, Bruce Almighty hit 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 time Bruce Almighty released. 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.

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 seen Bruce gain Satan's power rather than God's in a movie 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 Almighty had already tanked at the theaters—and this is really a shame. Brucifer would have been far more in line with Bruce Almighty. The tone might have been different, but the formula that made Carrey's 2007 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 the Bruce Almighty actor agreed to return for Brucifer is especially frustrating since Carrey famously doesn't return for sequels. Once upon a time, Carrey signed back on for sequels of some of his most famous movies, such as Ace Ventura and Dumb 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 the Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise. Still, since Carrey was reportedly willing to return for Brucifer, it seems this sequel was among those exceptions.

We can only guess why Bruce Almighty 2 was only brought to Universal after Evan Almighty. Perhaps Carrey wasn't as gung-ho for the project as Koren and O'Keefe implied. I would guess that, as hilarious as the Brucifer pitch sounds, someone thought that Evan Almighty would 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 their Brucifer idea to producers the day Bruce Almighty premiered, but the idea didn't get past Bostick at the time. Instead, the pair wrote the script for Evan 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.

Evan Almighty couldn't have been more different from Koren and O'Keefe's original Bruce Almighty 2 pitch. The PG film was 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. Of course, Bruce Almighty itself hadn't been a family movie, further proving that Brucifer was probably a better follow-up pitch. Unfortunately, we can't change the decisions of those who made Evan Almighty happen rather than Brucifer. Still, I have to wonder what could have been.