Why is Jim Carrey refusing to back his own movie?

Let's face it: Jim Carrey's name isn't exactly featured in headlines all that often these days. But that's definitely not the case at the moment, after the funny man's Tweet about his upcoming movie, Kick-Ass 2. Carrey told his nearly 11 million Twitter followers that he absolutely could not support KA2, one of the summer's most anticipated blockbusters, because of the film's gun violence. Why? It has to do with the December 2012 shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, actually.

On Sunday, June 23, 2013, Jim Carrey tweeted:

"I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence. My apologies to e..."

He then added in a follow-up tweet:

"I meant to say my apologies to others involve with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart."

Needless to say, Jim Carrey's stance set off a firestorm of debate on Monday about whether Carrey, a noted gun control advocate, was right or wrong to say what he said. I'm going to attempt to put politics aside (though it's difficult to do at the moment, what with Michelle Malkin basically vilifying Carrey on FOX News) and look only at the fact that a major movie star has just very publicly slammed his own upcoming movie.

This isn't the first time a celebrity has come out publicly against one of their own movies, but it's certainly one of the more interesting and high-profile examples. Kick-Ass 2 is set to open in U.S. theaters in mid-August, and this probably isn't the kind of publicity that distributor Universal Pictures had hoped Jim Carrey would generate for it.

Kick-Ass 2's executive producer, Mark Millar, took to his blog on Monday to respond to the controversy. He says he respects Jim Carrey's "politics and his opinion" but adds that he's "baffled by this sudden announcement."

Okay, what do you guys think? Is Jim Carrey merely being self-righteous here and seeking attention, or is he right, under the circumstances, to take a stand?

While I agree that the first Kick-Ass movie was violent, so are a lot of other films - including some Jim Carrey has done. I also respect the man's opinion and the right to say what he thinks about anything, but I think perhaps his opinion would have even more weight if he were willing to donate his Kick-Ass 2 paycheck (or at least a large chunk of it) to victims of Sandy Hook - or he could even start his own charity for victims of gun violence. That being said, he's free to promote or not promote any film he's in unless his contract stipulates otherwise. If he cannot in good conscience support Kick-Ass 2 now, then that's okay.

I'm really looking forward to reading everyone's opinions on this particular situation.

Photo courtesy of Digital Spy