For the first time in ten years, comedic directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly have joined forces once more for the Christmas movie Dear Santa, now out on Paramount+. Fittingly, that big-screen creative reunion between the brothers came just three weeks ahead of the 30th anniversary of their comedy classic feature debut, Dumb and Dumber, and marked their first collaboration since its sequel, Dumb and Dumber To. In the time since, they’ve managed to find their own successes apart from each other, with Peter directing and co-writing the Best Picture-winning Green Book, while Bobby has since helmed the Woody Harrelson-led Champions and a few episodes of his brother’s hit show Loudermilk. After Dear Santa, though, they don’t expect to be apart as long, and they may even revisit the beloved idiotic characters that started it all.
In an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub for their Jack Black holiday film, the duo was asked if they had any more collaborations on the horizon. “Yes, of course we are,” Peter said, though he was also quick to clarify that the wait for a new Farrelly Brothers project hasn’t been as long as it seems “because we did Loudermilk together.” They have some personal pursuits locked up, including the Mark Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser-led sports comedy Balls Up for Peter with Deadpool and Zombieland duo Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, but the future is wide open to team for another film.
Their philosophy of working together has changed over the years, though. Even as Dear Santa brought them back together, Bobby Farrelly handled directorial duties on his own instead of sharing the reins with his brother like in the Dumb and Dumber movies. It doesn’t change their desire to work together again, but they understand now that they only really need one person at the helm with a good, collaborative script to capture that signature Farrelly Bros feel. Peter continued, adding:
“What we started to realize after 20 years together directing movies is that we didn’t need two directors at that point. Once we have a good script, we understand what we want to do. When we did
Loudermilk
, Bobby would direct more than half, I would direct a couple, and I would write it. But when I’m editing the movie, I can’t even remember if I directed it or he directed it. It’s so exactly what I would have done. That’s the truth. I’m like, ‘Who directed this?’ I have to look for his name. And so, we’ve kind of got a good system where we’re doing that. But yeah, we will definitely do something again.”
The Farrelly Brothers Are Bringing a Classic Comedy to Broadway
As for what projects they would prioritize together, they’re still working on a years-in-the-making musical adaptation of their highest-grossing film, There’s Something About Mary. “Well, one of the things that we are working on is one of our old movies, There’s Something About Mary,” Bobby said. “We’re trying to adapt that to a Broadway musical right now, so it’s a musical version of that. That’s one thing that we’re doing.” From there, though, the docket is empty as they weigh their options. However, Bobby also brought up the possibility of bringing back Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne once again in the near future. It wasn’t lost on him that the original Dumb and Dumber is turning 30, and he’d love to work with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels for another film after the sequel and the 2003 prequel, Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd.
“We could never rule out maybe doing another Dumb and Dumber, and this year’s the 30th anniversary,” he continued. “Maybe at the 40th anniversary, just because we love Jim [Carrey] and Jeff [Daniels] so much. We have so much fun making those that we could revisit that, for sure.” Peter Farrelly added “And Jim wanted to call it Gum and Gummier.” Only time will tell though if they appear credited together again before celebrating another ten-year anniversary of their first film.
The Farrelly Brothers’ new movie Dear Santa is available now on digital platforms and Paramount+. However, the original Dumb and Dumber can only be found on digital at this time with no dedicated streaming home. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on what the brothers have in store next.
Dumb and Dumber
After a woman leaves a briefcase at the airport terminal, a dumb limo driver and his dumber friend set out on a hilarious cross-country road trip to Aspen to return it.
- Release Date
- December 16, 1994
- Director
- Peter Farrelly , Bobby Farrelly
- Runtime
- 107 minutes
Watch on Prime Video
