Carrey takes festive Scrooge role

Carrey has previously starred in films such as The Mask, from 1994

Actor Jim Carrey is to play Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future in a Walt Disney remake of A Christmas Carol.

The film will be directed by Oscar-winner Robert Zemeckis, who has also adapted the script from the classic novel by Charles Dickens.

Carrey, who has already played festive miser The Grinch, will portray different stages of Scrooge's life.

The film will combine live action with 3D digital animation.

Zemeckis, who was behind films such as Back to the Future and Forrest Gump, will be using a style of computer graphics known as "performance capture".

This technology was used in his festive tale The Polar Express three years ago and will also be seen in his next film, Beowulf.

No release date has been set for A Christmas Carol.