Jim Carrey explains why he came out of retirement for Sonic 3: "I need the money, frankly"

Jim Carrey is back in Sonic 3 as Dr. Robotnik, though he said back in 2022 that he was retiring.

So, what brought him back to the threequel? Well, as the actor explained – presumably with tongue firmly in cheek – it comes down to a pretty simple reason.

"I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch," he told the Associated Press, before adding: "And I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly."

Carrey previously said that he'd need a literal gold script to return to acting. "It depends, if the angels bring 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, I might continue down the road, but I'm taking a break," he told Access Hollywood.

Well, Sonic 3 director Jeff Fowler actually complied with this request, too. "We printed it out with 24-carat ink and delivered it to his doorstep," he told our sister publication SFX magazine of the film's script.

Also returning alongside Carrey are Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails, Idris Elba as Knuckles, and James Marsden as Tom Wachowski. New additions to the cast include Keanu Reeves as Shadow.

"I'd be lying if I didn’t say there was just an obvious corollary between his performance in the John Wick films and the vibe we’re trying to channel for Shadow," Fowler recently told SFX.

"Because Shadow, from a tonal standpoint, is an anti-hero, he's got a little edginess to him," he added. "It felt like the perfect fit for Keanu. He gave such a great performance. He knew what we were after, and was excited about playing the character and coming into our world."

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is in theaters this December 24. For more upcoming movies, check out our guide to upcoming video game adaptations to fill out your watchlist.