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Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, you’ve likely been unable to avoid Will Ferrell’s beloved holiday movie character Buddy the Elf, the human who has no idea he’s a human and is then thrown into the chaotic, overwhelming land of New York City on a quest to find his biological father. Released in 2003, Elf might sound like a hard sell from that premise alone, but it actually managed to assert itself as a brand-new Christmas classic then, and it remains a holiday fan favorite even now, 23 years later.
Because of that history and success (and simply the fact that so many people love it), there have often been questions about whether Elf 2 could happen. Despite Will Ferrell’s movies and shows continuing to roll out, the most recent of which, The Hawk, just hit Netflix on July 16, it seems this beloved movie is never going to get a sequel, at least if Ferrell has anything to say about it—and they almost certainly couldn’t do a second movie without him.
Will Ferrell Has Totally Shut Down Any Discussion of Elf 2
Speaking with Josh Horowitz on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Ferrell directly addressed the possibility of an Elf sequel in the future, and unfortunately, it’s not looking like good news. Horowitz reflected upon the last time he and Ferrell discussed Elf, saying that Ferrell had explained that he’d been “offered insane amounts of money to do the Elf sequel” but had ultimately turned it down. When asked about the possibility being reconsidered, Ferrell’s answer was clear. “That train has sailed, but I think for the best,” Ferrell said, seemingly putting the final nail in the proverbial Elf 2 coffin.
Later in the episode, however, the two did circle back on Elf, with Ferrell agreeing that the Christmas film was the “miracle” of his career because it could have gone horribly wrong but instead became a cult classic and has continued to be a beloved family movie each holiday season for more than 20 years. “I think true comedians, we always are like, ‘I don’t know. I think it’s funny.’ You know, it’s just an educated guess…That was lingering probably until I saw it with an audience,” Ferrell said of when he knew Elf was going to work.
Ultimately, these two reflections probably go hand-in-hand. The idea that Elf was a “miracle” because it could have gone so wrong but then was such a hit makes a sequel that much more precarious, and there’s perhaps an even higher chance that Ferrell, his co-stars, and the creators could get burned by a second movie. There also simply isn’t much need for it. Elf works in part because it is such a wholesome, self-contained movie that combines humor, fantasy, and heart in equal and perfect measure. Not only would striking that same balance be extremely challenging, but also, revisiting the story might even hurt that original movie.
Really, Buddy the Elf’s story ends exactly as it should, with his biological/step family and his adoptive family coming together, both accepting him for the unusual but lovable human being that he is, with even a wife and a new baby alongside him in the end. Introducing a new story, which would inevitably require at least a little hardship as well, might disrupt the fantasy of Elf. With so much at risk, Ferrell is entirely right to think it’s better to leave this classic Christmas movie as it is.
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