Jim Carrey announced his intent to retire from acting in 2022.

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The 60-year-old actor had recently finished filming Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which hit theaters on April 8. Carrey plays the primary villain of the franchise, Dr. Robotnik, bringing his classic comedy stylings to the fan-favorite character. News of a third installment in the live-action Sonic film franchise sparked concern amongst fans following Carrey’s announcement, as it could leave a massive hole in future entries.

Does Carrey’s retirement mean that Robotnik will be absent from future Sonic releases, or will he return to the role for Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

Will Jim Carrey return for Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

Carrey debuted as Sonic’s longstanding archenemy in 2020’s first Sonic installment, delighting fans with a maximalist performance perfectly in synch with what we typically expect from the veteran actor. He returned to the role in 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2, delivering an even better performance the second time around, according to reviewers.

Carrey’s flawless energy helps to make the live-action adaptations what they are, and fans are concerned at what his absence could mean for the franchise. Without Carrey’s explosive personality to lean on, the next film could pale massively in comparison to its predecessors. And considering that we’re talking about the Sonic films here, that’s really saying something.

The announcement of Carrey’s probable retirement has thrown news about the impending threequel into turmoil as fans debate whether the third (and hopefully final) Sonic installment will even be worth it.

Carrey did note, in the same Access Hollywood interview in which he announced his intent to retire, that he is “fairly serious” about retirement, according to Variety. He indicated that he may make a return to acting if “some sort of script that’s written in gold ink that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see” crops up, but something tells us he wasn’t talking about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in that quote.

Or maybe he was. Despite low fan expectations, it was confirmed in early 2024 that Carrey is, in fact, set to return for Sonic 3. The news was shared by Twitter’s DiscussingFilm account, which frequently shares reliable updates about the goings-on in the world of film.

As noted above, Carrey is a huge element behind the Sonic franchise’s success, so his return spells great news for the incoming third film. He also seems like he’s having a wonderful time in each of his appearances thus far, so he may well have agreed to return just for the fun of it. That or they offered him too much cash to pass up — but so long as we get Carrey, viewers are happy.