AceShowbiz - Jim Carrey has revealed his reasons for returning to the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise for the third installment. The actor, who had previously announced his intention to retire from acting, made a candid confession during the film's U.K. premiere on December 10.

"I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch," Carrey joked to the Associated Press. "And, you know, it's just... I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly. Yeah."

Carrey's return as villain Dr. Robotnik had been announced in 2022, but at the time, he had stated his intention to retire. "I'm being fairly serious," he had told Access Hollywood. "It depends. If the angels bring some sort of script that's written in gold ink, that says to me that it's going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road. But I'm taking a break."

However, Carrey later retracted his retirement plans, describing his previous statement as "hyperbole." He explained that he had been drawn to the role of Robotnik due to its creative freedom. "I really liked the control of painting - of not having a committee in the way telling me what the idea must be to appeal to a four-quadrant whatever," he had said.

In addition to Dr. Robotnik, Carrey also voices his villain's grandfather Gerald Robotnik in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3". The voice cast also includes Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba, James Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally and Krysten Ritter. The film is scheduled to hit theaters in the United States on December 20.