Jim Carrey to play Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live alongside Alec Baldwin, Maya Rudolph

Jim Carrey will play US presidential nominee Joe Biden in the upcoming series of Saturday Night Live, it has been announced.

The long-running sketch show returns in October for its 46th season, a month before Americans go to the polls, network NBC said. Speaking to Vulture, SNL’s Lorne Michaels said Carrey had expressed interest in the role and would “give the part energy and strength.”

“Hopefully it’s funny,” Michaels continued.

A number of SNL cast members and guest hosts have previously taken on the role of Biden, including former cast member Jason Sudeikis, Woody Harrelson and former SNL writer John Mulaney.

SNL alum Maya Rudolph is also set to return this season as Carrey’s onscreen running mate, with Rudolph reprising her impression of Kamala Harris, Biden’s pick for VP. Rudolph discovered that Harris had been chosen as Biden’s VP while on a Zoom livestream with Entertainment Weekly, responding “ruh-roh” to the news and adding she was “just as surprised as you are.”

Speaking of filming during a pandemic, Rudolph told the interviewer, "I just didn't really anticipate travelling during this pandemic. But if anyone can work it out, I'm sure [SNL head] Lorne [Michaels] has some sort of invisible helicopter that can get me there. "

Alec Baldwin usually plays Donald Trump and can be expected to appear opposite his fellow Hollywood star Carrey in TV debate sketches in the run up to the election.

In a rare move, SNL’s entire cast will return from the previous season, including stars Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Kenan Thompson, Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Michael Che and Colin Jost.

And there will be three new additions to the show. Lauren Holt, Punkie Johnson and Andrew Dismukes are joining the cast.

There will be a limited studio audience at SNL’s Rockefeller Centre studio, NBC said, and the show will work closely with New York governor Andrew Cuomo.

SNL returns on October 3, with weekly episodes up until the election on November 3.

Additional reporting by Press Association.