Why Will Ferrell turned down $29 million payday for ‘Elf’ sequel

Will Ferrell poses on red carpet in 2021
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

In what will certainly come as a disappointment to fans of the feel-good modern holiday classic “Elf,” Will Ferrell has announced he will not be reprising the role of Buddy for a sequel.

The original movie, about a pure-hearted human who grows up in the North Pole among Santa’s elves, then travels to New York in search of his father, was a hit when it was released in 2003, earning $220  million at the box office. It has now earned a spot among the handful of cherished films that get a mandatory re-watch from fans every year around Christmas and has inspired countless gift items and other merchandise.

Aldi

Despite the popularity of the first film, Ferrell recently revealed that he turned down a $29 million payday to film a sequel. He told The Hollywood Reporter his decision was simple: he did not like the proposed premise.

“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,’” Ferrell said. “And I thought, ‘Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.'”

Amazon

While this news is disappointing, what our inner Buddy tells us when we read that quote from Ferrell is that he would consider doing a sequel if the script was good enough. So we can hold out hope!

For now, though, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the magic of “Elf” and Ferrell’s lovable performance in it — other than just watching it over and over again, of course.

You can find everything from “Elf”-inspired wreaths to hang on your front door to a board game and a 6-foot-tall inflatable Buddy for your front yard. You can even find “Elf” coffee creamer and cereal, which tastes like maple syrup, one of the four main food groups for elves (along with candy, candy canes and candy corn). The cereal is made up of green and red tree-shaped marshmallows and maple-flavored corn puff cereal pieces.

General Mills

If you want to take Buddy with you wherever you go this holiday season, you can also buy an inflatable Buddy The Elf that will fit right in the passenger seat of your car. This 2.8 foot-tall Elf inflatable is priced at $19.98 and features Ferrell’s signature pose from the film, which comes when Buddy finds out “Santa” is coming to the mall.

Walmart

If you’ve got an idea in mind for a script involving Buddy that Ferrell would actually do, get to writing and make all of our holiday dreams come true!

Entertainment, Holiday & Seasonal, Movies & TV, News

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About the Author
Kaitlin Gates
Kaitlin is a freelance multimedia journalist with a degree in journalism and psychology. Along with Simplemost, she also writes for Don't Waste Your Money, where she loves finding great deals to help people save money.

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