Taking Names

Christmas Carrey

Jim Carrey, who brought Dr. Seuss’ Grinch to life on the big screen, will soon portray another holiday curmudgeon, Ebenezer Scrooge, as well as the three Christmas ghosts in a remake of “A Christmas Carol,” the Walt Disney Co. said Friday.

Robert Zemeckis will direct from his own script, based on the Charles Dickens classic novel, a Disney spokeswoman said.

The movie will blend live action with 3-D digital animation and a computer-graphics style called “performance capture,” which Mr. Zemeckis used in his 2004 holiday adventure “The Polar Express” and his upcoming film “Beowulf,” the spokeswoman said.

Mr. Zemeckis, the Oscar-winning director of Tom Hanks’ 1994 hit drama “Forrest Gump,” wrote his “Christmas Carol” screenplay specifically for Mr. Carrey, who will portray the miserly Scrooge through various periods of his life. Mr. Carrey also will play the ghosts of Christmases past, present and future who visit Scrooge.

Seven years ago Mr. Carrey, 45, starred as the title character in the Ron Howard-directed “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” based on the popular Dr. Seuss story.

“Grinch” was a huge box-office hit, but in recent years Mr. Carrey has suffered through a string of flops such as “Fun with Dick and Jane” and “The Number 23.”

Compiled by Kevin Chaffee from wire reports.