Since Bruce Almighty made close on $50 million at the international box-office two years ago, Universal Pictures has been determined to produce a sequel. However, Jim Carrey refused to reprise the role of Bruce Nolan, the insecure TV reporter reduced to providing the fluff at the end of bulletins until God (Morgan Freeman) takes a holiday and puts Bruce in charge of running the world for six days.

However, a minor character, Evan Baxter, the smug anchorman envied by Bruce, was played by Steve Carrell, whose career has been in the ascendant with the leading role in the US TV version of The Office and in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, the No 1 movie in the US for the past two weekends.

Universal's solution is name the sequel Evan Almighty, shifting the focus on to Carrell's character. Freeman is in negotiations to play God again.

Carrell is also set to play inept secret agent Maxwell Smart in the TV comedy spin-off, Get Smart.