Josh Flitter will played the son of the famed detective

Josh Flitter, currently mugging for screentime opposite Robin Williams in "License to Wed," will take the lead in "Ace Ventura 3."

With Jim Carrey presumably off doing better things, "Ace Ventura 3" will focus on the son of the original pet detective. Played by Flitter, the wee Ventura becomes a pet detective for his little friends, eventually going in search of a stolen baby panda.

Jason Heimberg, Justin Heimberg and Jeff Sank wrote the project, which will be produced by Morgan Creek and directed by David M. Evans.

The first "Ace Ventura" film made just under $110 million worldwide, while the sequel made under $215 million around the globe.

There's ample precedent that making a sequel to Jim Carrey movies without Carrey isn't the best of ideas. Released in 2003, the Carrey-free "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd" failed to make it to $40 million worldwide, while the worldwide take for "Son of the Mask" did a little better, but couldn't make it past $60 million. While "Bruce Almighty" made over $480 million worldwide, this summer's "Evan Almighty" hasn't made it past $100 million, despite the presence of Steve Carell.

Flitter has had a busy summer, appearing in both "License to Wed" and "Nancy Drew." His other credits include "Big Momma's House 2" and "The Greatest Game Ever Played."