The first question to ask when considering a Truman Show sequel is: why? The unfortunate answer is that there is a question of what happened to Truman once he realized that he was the star of his own show and had unknowingly provided decades of entertainment for those that existed outside of the dome that had been his world for so long. While the idea of being filmed continually and followed around by cameras wasn’t entirely new by the time The Truman Show came around, the concept of someone’s life being documented without their knowledge was a radical concept that culminated in a movie that put Jim Carrey’s skills to the test since he’d been known primarily as a comedian up until this movie. It’s true that he showed an aptitude for the dramatic throughout part of his career by this point but people had still known him best as the man that pulled the funny faces, talked out of his rear, and was more or less a wild and zany individual that was absolutely nuts on screen. The Truman Show was a rather major shift in his career as The Majestic would come out a few years after and Man on the Moon, the story of Andy Kaufman, came out a short while before that. Lately, as Shawn Depasquale of Screenrant has noted, he’s gone back to his comical side as Dr. Robotnik for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie, but while people might be pleased to see him in a comedic role once again it’s already been well established that he has several more layers to him that don’t rely solely on comedy.
But really, a look back into Truman’s life would be best served as a short and possibly very succinct short movie since despite the world-shattering revelation that he’d been the star of his own show and that very little in his life was real, Truman’s escape into the real world would be fairly simple to break down from an observer’s standpoint. Even if he did reunite with the love of his life, Truman would be the proverbial fish out of water as the real world would be an alien place to him where he might be seen as a faded celebrity but he might also come to realize that no one cares outside of the show just who he is. It sounds harsh and cynical, but unfortunately it’s the truth. He might get the life he wanted with his sweetheart, but there could also be a massive culture shock since the world he’d experienced in his own personal show would likely disappear like so much smoke when he was presented with the real world and the many different issues it comes with. Some might think it would be a blessing, that he’d be glad to just disappear among the throngs of people that might recognize him and dismiss him in a single moment, but there’s a serious chance for one or more issues to develop. Kyle Garton-Gundling of Pop Matters tends to agree that this would be a bad idea.
There’s always the chance of PTSD, a persecution complex, and other issues that might arise, and then there’s the idea that there might be legal battles abounding considering that he left the show after being deceived for so long. A Truman sequel could get very dark very quickly give how many complications would arise, and it’s very possible that it wouldn’t be the happy, feel-good movie that some might think it would be. And plus, would anything he’d been through be binding? Would his marriage be seen as easily annulled? Then there’s the idea that those actors that had been with him for so long might feel a certain way about losing a job that had taken up so much of their lives, and it’s even likely that a few of them might be a bit resentful thanks to his abrupt departure. A Truman Show sequel is something that could work on the off chance that someone was willing to go dark and explore the bad along with the good when introducing a man to a world that he’s never known and could be easily overwhelmed by, but the hope is that it will stay in Jim Carrey’s head for the time being and possibly never see the light of day since there are a lot of people that might want to see him as the funny man again, at least for a while.
It’s very true that he’s a gifted actor but it’s also true that he’s been a problematic figure in recent years as he’s dealt with his own inner demons. On screen he’s brilliant though, but the Truman Show needs to stay a one and done kind of deal, as the fantasy that he would reunite with his one true love upon leaving the show is one that a lot of people likely prefer, without the fallout that was sure to come.
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