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In this era, it’s rare to see a big, money-making film not earn a sequel. So, over the years, many have wondered why the modern Christmas classic, Elf, never earned a sequel. As it turns out, star Will Ferrell almost earned $30 million for an Elf sequel – but he turned it down. That’s right! Read on to see why…
Will Ferrell On The Elf Sequel
New Line Cinema
Believe it or not, at first, no one knew that Elf would become a modern-day Christmas hit. In fact, during a recent sitdown with the Hollywood Reporter, the star, comedian, and actor Will Ferrell, remembered “running around New York in his silly yellow tights, thinking, ‘Boy, this could be the end.'” However, as time went on, the test screenings for Elf went incredibly well! “[My manager] was like ‘Well, the family one went great, but we could really get eviscerated in this next one. I’m looking at a bunch of what look like USC frat boys about to go in,'” the star, a former USC frat boy himself, told the Reporter. “Then later I hear, no, that group actually liked it, too.”
Of course, as any Christmas film fan can tell you, Elf then debuted in theaters in 2003 to not only rave reviews, but also an excellent box office performance! It earned a whopping $220 million during its run – against a budget of $33 million, no less. The film also turned Ferrell into a massive movie star, which he remains today.
As you might imagine, the studio wanted to make a sequel as soon as possible. In fact, as stated, New Line Cinema offered Ferrell nearly $30 million to return! However, he had his reason to turn the Elf sequel down…
Elf II Will Likely Never Happen
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Why didn’t Ferrell return for the Elf sequel? Well, according to the actor himself, he did not think that the sequel script stood up to the original. He felt it was a letdown. However, according to another Elf star, James Caan, that’s not exactly the case. In fact, he says that they were on track to make an Elf 2!
“We were gonna do it and I thought, ‘Oh my god, I finally got a franchise movie. I could make some money. Let my kids do what the hell they want to do,'” Caan said during a recent interview. “And the director [Jon Favreau] and Will didn’t get along very well. So, Will wanted to do it, he didn’t want the director, and he had it in his contract. It was one of those things.”
Meanwhile, even though Elf fans have asked for a sequel thousands of times, Ferrell remains adamant he will “absolutely not” participate in an Elf sequel. “It would look slightly pathetic if I tried to squeeze back into the Elf tights,” he said on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, back in 2013. However, if you’re a fan of the modern-day Christmas classic, don’t feel discouraged! Currently, Ferrell is working on another Christmas movie. The musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, titled Spirited, also stars Ryan Reynolds and will debut in theaters next year.
