The Mask is an American media franchise based on the comic book series of the same name published by Dark Horse Comics. The franchise revolves around a mysterious mask that grants its wearers cartoonish, god-like superpowers. Those who use the mask are ultimately faced with the consequences of the chaos and conflicts created by its influence.
The first film, The Mask, was released in 1994, followed by the stand-alone sequel Son of the Mask in 2005. An animated television series, The Mask: Animated Series, was also produced and ran for three seasons. While the first film was a major commercial and critical success, the sequel was critically panned and performed poorly at the box office.
Background In 1989, Mike Richardson and Todd Moyer, respectively the founder and Executive Vice President of Dark Horse Comics, first approached New Line Cinema about adapting the comic series The Mask into a film, after having seen other offers. The main character went through several transformations, and the project was stalled a couple of times.
With New Line Cinema initially intending for The Mask to start a new horror franchise, the company offered the job of directing the film to Charles Russell, known for directing such films.THN Exclusive: Chuck Russell talks I Am Wrath, The Mask and Freddy Krueger Retrieved September 9, 2017. Russell found the violence of the comic to be off-putting, and wanted the film to be less grim and more fun than the source material, adapting the prologue of the 1991 The Mask series with serial killer Stan "Big Head" Ipkiss instead characterised as the heroic Stanley Ipkiss, with the main protagonist Mitch Kellaway then given a supporting role in-adaptation.
Films Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s) The Mask July 29, 1994 Chuck Russell Mike Werb Michael Fallon and Mark Verheiden Bob Engelman Son of the Mask February 18, 2005 Lawrence Guterman Lance Khazei Erica Huggins and Scott Kroopf
The Mask (1994)
Unfortunate bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey) finds a magical mask that transforms him into a mischievous, good-hearted gangster with cartoon-like superpowers.
Son of the Mask (2005)
After Loki (Alan Cumming) is dispatched to Earth to retrieve the Mask, cartoonist Tim Avery (Jamie Kennedy) inadvertently uses it to conceive a child, who inherits its powers.
Possible third film On the possibility of a direct sequel to the 1994 film with Carrey reprising the role of Stanley Ipkiss and Diaz as Tina Carlyle, Mike Richardson said in a 2014 interview: "We've been talking about reviving The Mask, both in film and in comics. We've had a couple of false starts". In December 2024, Carrey revealed that he was still interested in portraying the Mask in a sequel as long as the idea is good. In January 2025, Diaz also expressed interest in returning "if Jim's on board". In June 2026, Chuck Russell said, "A sequel to The Mask is always something I'm asked about. It'd be lovely to return, but for me with Jim in particular, it would be lovely to return, but we'll see. It's not ready yet, but that's a lovely idea." A month later, however, he would die at his home in the San Diego Area, at the age of 74, leaving the status of the sequel unknown.
Possible reboot In 2026, Sébastien Vaniček expressed interest in directing a new adaptation that was darker and more violent, staying closer in tone to the original comics.
Television SeriesSeasonEpisodesFirst releasedLast releasedShowrunner(s)Network(s) The Mask: Animated Series 3 54 August 12, 1995 August 30, 1997 Duane Capizzi CBS
The Mask: Animated Series (1995–1997)
Stanley Ipkiss (voiced by Rob Paulsen) continues to use the magical mask to fight crime and the supervillains as the mischievous, cartoonish, good-hearted superhero known as the "Mask", while having fun and partying at the same time. In this continuity, Stanley still has the mask. He either pretended to throw it away, or Milo retrieved it from the river. As well, in this series, Stanley can use the mask during both day and night, whereas in the film, it only worked at night.
Cast and characters A indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character. Character Films Animated series The Mask Son of the Mask The Mask: Animated Series Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Stanley Ipkiss Jim Carrey Rob Paulsen Dr. Arthur Neuman Ben Stein Ben Stein Milo Max Frank Welker Lt. Mitch Kellaway Peter Riegert Neil Ross Detective Doyle Jim Doughan Jim Cummings Charlie Schumaker Richard Jeni Mark L. Taylor Peggy Brandt Amy Yasbeck Heidi Shannon Mayor Mitchell "Mortimer" Tilton Ivory Ocean Kevin Michael Richardson Agnes Peenman Nancy Fish Tress MacNeille Tina Carlyle Cameron Diaz Dorian Tyrell Peter Greene Niko Orestes Matacena Loki Alan Cumming Tim Avery Jamie Kennedy Alvey Avery Ryan and Liam Falconer Joyce Kurtz Mona Marshall Mary Matilyn Mouser Neil Ross Otis Bear Bill Farmer Richard Steven Horvitz Tonya Avery Traylor Howard Odin Bob Hoskins Daniel Moss Steven Wright Jorge Kal Penn Chad Ryan Johnson Betty Magda Szubanski Doctor Septimus Pretorius Tim Curry
Additional crew and production details FilmCrew/Detail Composer(s) Cinematographer Editor(s) Production companies Distributing company Running time The Mask Randy Edelman John R. Leonetti Arthur Coburn New Line Productions AFI Catalog of Feature Films Dark Horse Entertainment New Line Cinema 101 minutes Son of the Mask Greg Gardiner Malcolm Campbell, John Coniglio and Debra Neil Fisher Radar Pictures Dark Horse Entertainment New Line Cinema (United States)Warner Bros. Pictures (Germany) 94 minutes
Audio An audio adaptation of I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask, produced by American audiobook company GraphicAudio, was released on 13 September 2021.
Miscellaneous A CD-Rom providing a motion comic adaptation of the first five issues of the original comic was released in 1994, entitled The Mask: The Origin.
Video games
A side-scrolling action game based on the first film was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. A game based on Son of the Mask was released for mobile phones in 2005.
References