Yahoo Movies Jim Carrey Is A 'Bonehead, Should Be Ashamed Of Himself', Says Kick-Ass Creator
The comic book writer behind ‘Kick-Ass’ has slated Jim Carrey, calling him a ‘bonehead’ over his decision not to help promote ‘Kick-Ass 2’ in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre.
Last summer, Carrey made a point of publicly stepping down from his publicity duties after starring in the sequel, in which he played reformed enforcer-turned-masked avenger Colonel Stars and Stripes, condemning the violence it depicted.
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He tweeted at the time: “I did Kick-Ass 2 a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence.
“My apologies to others involve[d] with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart.”
Carrey had previously tackled the gun lobby in a viral video in which he played a ludicrous version of Charlton Heston, and appeared to be sticking to his principles in the wake of the murders at the hands of lone gunman Adam Lanza at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.
But writer John Romita Jr, who created ‘Kick-Ass’ with Scotsman Mark Millar, has now gone on the offensive about Carrey’s choice.
“As for Jim Carrey, I know I’ll never work with that bonehead again, so let me say this,” he told the Comic Book Resources website.
“I think Mark and I have talked about this before, but here’s a guy who could have capitalized on the character he played and played it toward his anti-gun stance.
“The character he played gave up weapons – gave up guns — and became a good guy. Anybody with three quarters of an education could have figured out how to fold that idea in with their anti-gun ideas.
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“He’s not a smart enough guy to do that. He cashed his check and took his money, and then he went and pulled a bunch of crap on our film.
“He took money out of their pockets, and he should be ashamed of himself.”
At the time, Millar also expressed his dismay at Carrey’s decision, saying on his blog: “[I’m] baffled by this sudden announcement as nothing seen in this picture wasn’t in the screenplay 18 months ago.
"Yes, the body count is very high, but a movie called ‘Kick-Ass 2’ really has to do what it says on the tin.
“Like Jim, I’m horrified by real-life violence (even though I’m Scottish), but Kick-Ass 2 isn’t a documentary.
“No actors were harmed in the making of this production! This is fiction and like Tarantino and Peckinpah, Scorsese and Eastwood, John Boorman, Oliver Stone and Chan-wook Park, Kick-Ass avoids the usual bloodless bodycount of most big summer pictures and focuses instead of the CONSEQUENCES of violence.
“Our job as storytellers is to entertain and our toolbox can’t be sabotaged by curtailing the use of guns in an action movie.”
As for whether there will be a ‘Kick-Ass 3’, likely without Carrey, Millar said: “The second one didn’t make as much.” he said. “It cost a little less at around $24 million, made $61 million and made about $100 million again on DVD and TV rights.
“It was still profitable. It was by no means ‘The Lone Ranger.’ But does that mean we’ll make another one again? I don’t know. It’s definitely up in the air, and we’ll just have to see.
“Matthew [Vaughn] is a guy who I trust to make that decision. If he decides he does want to do it, I know he’ll get it done well. And he’s got the movie rights, so it’s ultimately his decision. I speak to Matthew every day, and we haven’t discussed ‘Kick-Ass 3,’ so who knows? The option is always open.”
Photo: Universal
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