August 1, 2002
Aniston, Freeman come aboard Carrey Picture!
Jennifer Aniston (The Good Girl, TV's "Friends") has come aboard to star opposite Jim Carrey in Universal Pictures' spiritual comedy Bruce Almighty.
Morgan Freeman is also in final negotiations to star in the project, says The Hollywood Reporter. The film is being directed by Tom Shadyac with production starting Tuesday in Los Angeles.
The film will see Carrey star as Bruce Nolan, a television reporter in Buffalo, N.Y., who is discontent with almost everything in life despite his popularity and the love of his girlfriend, Grace (Aniston). At the end of the worst day of his life, Bruce angrily ridicules and rages against God -- and God responds. God appears in human form (Freeman) and, endowing Bruce with divine powers, challenges Bruce to take on the big job to see if he can do it any better.
March 28, 2002
Jim Carrey signs on for new project, Eternal Sunshine a-go!
Jim Carrey is set to star in Bruce Almighty, a Universal Pictures comedy that reteams him with Ace Ventura, Pet Detective director Tom Shadyac. Shooting will start in July. Carrey, Shadyac, and scribe Steve Oedekerk began working together on the film in earnest last month, when Carrey became available after the Gary Ross-directed comedy Dog Years screeched to a halt. At that time, Universal executives were eager to get Carrey into another film following their success with Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Liar Liar.
Carrey and Oedekerk wrote together on In Living Color, and Oedekerk also directed the Ace Ventura sequel.
Bruce Almighty is a whiny guy who questions once too often why God gives him so much grief. He is suddenly given almighty power for 24 hours to teach him how difficult it is to run the world. Comedy ensues as the guy misuses and then tries to harness his awesome power.
Universal originally bought the project as a spec script by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe. Carrey and Shadyac have been working with Oedekerk to rewrite the script, a three-man formula they employed during Ace.
Carrey will follow up by starring in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the USA Films picture reteaming Human Nature writer Charlie Kaufman and helmer Michel Gondry.
