Jim Carrey To Star In 'Lemony Snicket'

[Friday, September 20th, 2002]
Jim Carrey is in talks to topline the Barry Sonnenfeld-directed "Lemony Snicket" for Paramount, reports Variety.

Pic is an adaptation of the Daniel Handler children's book series "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events."

Studio brass has high hopes that "Snicket" will be its ticket to a Harry Potteresque franchise.

The wildly popular Snicket series has grown to eight books since Handler hatched the series in 1999. The saga revolves around a trio of orphans who are passed around to a series of quirky people. The first of those is the mysterious Count Olaf, who is counting on separating the children from their inheritance.

The series has the kind of kid-appropriate edge evident in J.K. Rowling's "Potter" series, and that prompted the studio to bring in Sonnenfeld, who showed a flair for black comedy in the Rudin-produced "The Addam's Family" and its sequel. The script has been written by Handler.

Sources said that Carrey has sparked to the Count role, and the talks going on right now are aimed at sorting out Carrey's busy dance card.

"Snicket" would likely follow that film.

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