Screenwriter Andrew Niccol has revealed how he would continue Truman’s story after The Truman Show.
Jim Carrey, though of course known for his whirlwind comedic performances in the likes of Dumb and Dumber and The Mask, has an incredibly strong body of dramatic work, From his divisive turn in The Cable Guy to playing Andy Kaufman in Man On The Moon and his turn as a blacklisted screenwriter with amnesia in the underrated Frank Darabont film The Majestic, there’s no doubt that Carrey is just as good in straight roles as he is playing the clown.
But it was The Truman Show that first alerted audiences to his dramatic acting prowess. The film endures perhaps because it was such a prescient prediction of a world dominated by reality television.
The film, written by Andrew Niccol and directed by Peter Weir, followed Carrey as Truman Burbank, an amiable everyman who gradually makes the horrifying discovery that his entire existence is a lie.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Niccol revealed that he has thought about where he would take the story in a potential television series:
“I thought it would be fun, if after Truman walked through the sky, the audience clamored for more (which you sense at the end of the film). I imagine there would be a network with multiple channels all starring a subject born on the show.
If I set it in New York City, there would be a girl living on the Upper East Side, a boy from Harlem, a kid from Chinatown, etc. Since they are all on their own channel and move in their own circles, they are never meant to meet. But at the end of the first season, the boy from Harlem and the rich girl find themselves drawn to each other. They both sense that the other is acting differently from anyone they’ve ever met…because for the first time, they’ve met someone who is not acting! (In the second season, the Network would desperately try to kill off their romance.)”.
It’s certainly an intriguing premise, and one that would be well suited to long form storytelling. A television adaptation of Niccol’s terrific sci-fi drama Gattaca is also in development, although Niccol is not involved.
Niccol is currently working on a sequel to Lord Of War with Nicolas Cage.
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