Tension on the set of a Christmas movie? Who butted heads to keep an "Elf" sequel from
happening? The answer is actually pretty surprising. "Elf 2" will never happen.
Keep watching to find out why.
Comedy legend Will Ferrell's career has had its shares of ups and downs, but when it comes to
Christmas comedy "Elf," the actor delivered some serious holiday cheer. Directed by Jon
Favreau and written by David Berenbaum, the 2003 film quickly became a hit. Both critics
and audiences applauded the film for its blend of endearing goofball humor, which is evidenced
by its 85% critics score and 79% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie stars Ferrell as Buddy,
a human accidentally transported to the North Pole as a baby, who now works as one of Santa's helpers
among his army of elves. After discovering his true identity one Christmas, Buddy heads to New
York City to meet his biological father. The result is equal parts funny and heartwarming.
Now considered a Christmas classic, the cast includes Hollywood icons Ed Asner and Bob Newhart,
who star as Santa and Buddy's adoptive elf father respectively.
Meanwhile, Zooey Deschanel plays Ferrell's love interest,
Mary Steenburgen plays Buddy's stepmom, and Daniel Tay is his stepbrother.
The part of Buddy's biological father is played by the incomparable James Caan. Unsurprisingly,
the movie has inspired impassioned calls for a sequel for years, yet it's never happened.
In 2020, Caan gave an incredibly insightful interview about "Elf," even explaining the
reason we'll likely never see a sequel. According to the actor,
tension and personality clashes between the film's star, Will Ferrell, and its director, Jon Favreau,
mean that fans will probably never see the beloved cast reunite on the big screen.
In an impromptu interview with local radio show 92.3's "Bull and Fox," Caan revealed,
"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."
"That's, that's ridiculous."
Caan only ended up appearing on the radio show after his assistant, who is from Cleveland,
called into "Bull and Fox" to discuss the Browns' most recent win. The actor eventually joined the
conversation, delighting fans by sharing that an "Elf" sequel very nearly happened,
and that he had been ready to sign on. This was, of course,
a major shift from his reluctance to appear in the first film. Caan told the radio show
hosts that he had initially turned down the request to play Ferrell's father.
"Alright, let's get it over with."
As Caan said,
"Will called me one night and said, 'Jimmy, want to do this picture with me?'"
Caan replied to Ferrell's request negatively at first, saying,
"Listen, Will, I love you, you're a funny guy, but I'm not doing a picture called 'Elf,' okay?"
Caan said he negotiated to change the film title
to "Elk" on the working scripts as a condition of his casting, adding,
"I said, 'I'll tell you what, if you put a K on the end of it — like just through the
working scripts [...] then I'll do it [...]' It was great fun with Will. He's a great guy."
Following the incredible success of "Elf," the actor shared that he was ready for a sequel,
despite the film's two biggest creatives butting heads. Caan revealed,
"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.’"
However, personality clashes may not be the only reason we haven't seen an "Elf 2" yet.
Both Favreau and Ferrell keep pretty busy. The director is currently attached to several Disney
projects including Season 3 of "The Mandalorian." Meanwhile, the "Saturday Night Live" alum
continues his on-screen work in surprise hits like "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of
Fire Saga," as he juggles producing obligations on projects like "Succession" and "Dead to Me."
Sadly, it seems like the odds of an "Elf 2" occurring just got even lower,
as James Caan tragically passed away on July 6, 2022. Caan's straight man to Ferrell's
crazy man-turned-elf was a big reason why the film was so hilarious and touching,
and it's hard to imagine anyone else occupying his role. It appears as though "Elf" is destined
to be a one-and-done-type project. At least fans can take solace in knowing all the right
puzzle pieces came together at one place in time to deliver a genuine Christmas classic.
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