According to executives at Universal Pictures, "nuclear war was never so hilarious!"
So says the company's press release for their upcoming film, a remake of "The Day After", the movie which depicted a nuclear holocaust nightmare and aired on American television in 1983.
The Jim Carrey version, scheduled for a Christmas 2004 release, is already causing controversy. Scenes in the film include the rubber-faced comedian and his sidekick in the movie, Nate Neutron (Martin Lawrence), looting skis from an abandoned sporting goods and heading for the mountains to take advantage of "nuclear winter".
Critics are also blasting the blatant product placement in the movie. Carrey and Lawrence are constantly plastering themselves in Coppertone suntan lotion and dousing themselves in Aquafina purified water.
Post-release promotions also include a deal with McDonalds for "The Day After" Happy Meal, which will contain a burger, fries, Potassium Iodide tablet and Enrico Fermi action figure.
Universal has big plans for Carrey's switch to an unfamiliar and exploratory genre, which mixes slapstick comedy with unspeakable tragedy, known to insiders as "comegedy".
The company is also drawing up plans for Carrey to star in remakes of "Schindler's List" (in a new Ace Ventura project), "Brian's Song", "Old Yeller", "The Deer Hunter", "La Strada", and "Beaches" (with Adam Sandler).
