Will Ferrell declined a massive offer for an Elf sequel due to a particular reason.
As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to dust off those Christmas classics to get into the festive mood.
Among the many films available, Elf has earned a place as a beloved holiday staple, telling the story of Buddy, a human raised by elves, who ventures into the human world to find his real father.
Ferrell’s lively and eccentric portrayal of Buddy the Elf provides a comedic contrast to James Caan’s dry depiction of his cynical father.
Upon its 2003 release, the movie was a hit, and as is customary with successful films, there was interest in developing a sequel.
Despite the potential profitability, Will Ferrell declined the opportunity for one specific reason.
The reason was his dissatisfaction with the script, even though he was presented with an astonishing $29 million offer to return as Buddy.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ferrell received a completed script and details of the proposed pay, but even such a lucrative offer did not sway him, as he believed he couldn’t promote the film sincerely.
Ferrell felt that a sequel would not recapture the original’s charm and would merely serve as a financial gain.
He explained: “I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would’ve been, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money’.
“And I thought, ‘Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie’.”
Considering that Elf generated an impressive $228.9 million on a modest $33 million budget and remains a Christmas favorite, it was far from a financial disappointment.
However, it may not have been solely the script’s quality that halted the sequel. In September 2020, James Caan disclosed on the radio show The Fan in Cleveland that there was tension between Ferrell and director Jon Favreau.
Caan commented on the sequel: “We were gonna do it. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, I finally have a franchise movie. I can make some money, let my kids do what the hell they want to do.'”
Unfortunately for Caan, the plans didn’t materialize as expected. He added: “The director and Will didn’t get along very well.
“Will wanted to do it, and he didn’t want the director, and [Favreau] had it in his contract. It was one of those things.”