Jim Carrey has distanced himself from the upcoming Universal release "Kick-Ass 2" because of its violent content. Carrey used his Twitter account to pass along the message to his over 10,863,000 followers.
Jim Carrey plays Colonel Stars and Stripes in "Kick-Ass 2," a character who allows his attack dog to bite on the genitals of an enemy. The film and its predecessor are based on the Mark Millar comic book series about a teen superhero named Kick-Ass (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Both films received an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America for violence, among other indiscretions. (The first film also featured co-star Chloe Moretz, then 11, using the c-word.)
Following Carrey's tweets, Millar wrote a lengthy response on his own website. "As you may know, Jim is a passionate advocate of gun-control and I respect both his politics and his opinion, but I'm baffled by this sudden announcement as nothing seen in this picture wasn't in the screenplay eighteen months ago," the "Kick-Ass" creator wrote on Millar World. "Yes, the body-count is very high, but a movie called Kick-Ass 2 really has to do what it says on the tin." Millar, a self-professed Carrey fan, noted that his work in "Kick-Ass 2" is a career highlight.
This isn't the first time Carrey has spoken out about violence. In March of this year, while promoting a sketch for Funny or Die, Carrey called those against gun control in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. "heartless motherf--kers."
Last July, Carrey was just as outraged after the shooting deaths of 12 people during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colo.
My love to the victims in Colorado. The kid ws sick bt u who can still support automatic weapon sales r the real maniacs in this country.
— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) July 21, 2012
"Kick-Ass 2" is due out in theaters on Aug. 16. No word yet on whether Carrey will participate in the "Kick-Ass 2" press junket.
