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News of Elf 2, a potential sequel to the classic Christmas film starring Will Ferrell, has been making the rounds recently due to a Facebook post by YODA BBY ABY. Fans have awaited a sequel featuring Buddy's latest antics, but nothing has materialized in the last two decades since the film's release.
The Facebook post dated November 3, 2024, announced the release of Elf 2 in December 2024, on Max. According to the post, Will Ferrell and Peter Dinklage return for the sequel film, which gives an AI-inspired spin to the original story.
It centers around the dwarf author Miles Finch creating AI-powered BuddyBots using Buddy's likeness. These robots uphold Buddy's legacy of spreading the Christmas cheer with their festive season-inspired antics.
Fans of the first movie who just got their hopes up after witnessing the viral poster shouldn't get their hopes up. The Facebook page titled YODA BBY ABY is known for its satirical and false content that is strictly meant for entertainment.
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The Facebook page has more than 122k followers and describes itself as 100% satire and fake news. Therefore, it should be noted that Elf 2 will not stream on Max this December.
Why was Elf 2 never made?
Directed by Jon Favreau, Elf became a massive box-office success upon its release on November 7, 2003. As per the magazine Mental Floss, in September 2013, Favreau had expressed interest in directing the sequel, Elf 2: Buddy Saves Christmas. However, he was later reported to have changed his mind.
In Favreau's exclusive interview with Yahoo Entertainment in 2016, he stated that the studio heads wanted to make a sequel to his Christmas hit right from the beginning.
According to The Hollywood Reporter's article on October 28, 2021, Will Ferrell was offered a massive paycheck of $29 million to star in the sequel. But, the Anchorman star turned it down as he did not approve of the rehashed script for Elf 2. Ferrell told the media outlet that he could not do the movie in good faith:
“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."
Furthermore, Ferrell was 35 when he first donned the famous green costume. In December 2013, he told Andy Cohen on his talk show, Watch What Happens Live, that it would be "pathetic" to get into the character as a middle-aged man.
In September 2020, James Caan said he and fellow Elf cast members Zooey Deschanel and Mary Steenburgen would love to return for a sequel. In the same interview with the Bull & Fox radio talk show, he disclosed the real reason the sequel could never happen:
"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.’ And the director 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.”
Elf is among the best Christmas movies of all time
Elf was a huge box office draw and earned a whopping $228.9 million worldwide against a modest budget of $33 million, as per Box Office Mojo.
The film tells the story of Buddy (Will Ferrell), a human who believes he is an elf as he grew up with Santa’s elves. When he learns that he is indeed human, Buddy heads to New York City to find his biological father, Walter (James Cann). While reconnecting with Walter, the innocent Elf spreads the much-needed Christmas cheer to a cynical world.
The movie also featured James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Peter Dinklage, Daniel Tay, Bob Newhart, Amy Sedaris, and Ed Asner in supporting roles.
The Christmas classic was turned into a Broadway musical that ran from 2010 to 2011, followed by a revival in 2012. The film also inspired the 2014 animated special titled Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas and a 2004 video game by Crave Entertainment.
Stay tuned for further updates on Elf 2 and other trending news of 2024.
