Elf 2 Why Will Ferrell Turned Down the Planned Sequels $29 Million Payday

Elf 2: Why Will Ferrell Turned Down the Planned Sequel’s $29 Million Payday

Will Ferrell reveals why he turned down $29 million to star in a sequel to Elf, the 2003 Christmas classic that launched him into superstardom.

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Will Ferrell explained why he turned down $29 million to star in a sequel to his iconic 2003 Christmas comedy Elf.

Ferrell admitted to THR that he didn’t like the script for Elf 2, which featured a “rehashed premise” of the original movie. “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,'” he 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.'”

Elf, which stars Ferrell as a human who’s accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised as one of Santa’s elves, cemented the Saturday Night Live alum as a leading comedy movie star. The film remains a beloved Christmas classic that continues to find new audiences each holiday season, but Ferrell wasn’t so confident about the project while shooting it. “Boy, this could be the end,” he recalled thinking while running around New York City in a bright green coat and yellow tights. Instead of ending his career, the comedy grossed $223.85 million at the worldwide box office — a substantial profit for a film that cost roughly $33 million to produce.

Ferrell also remembered being on edge about a series of test screenings held prior to the release of Elf. The actor noted that his manager would call with updates: “He 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.’ Then later I hear, no, that group actually liked it, too.”

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Ferrell followed up Elf with two more comedy blockbusters, 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and 2006’s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. An Anchorman sequel, co-written by Ferrell, was released in 2013. As for why he agreed to an Anchorman follow-up, Ferrell said it “was a sequel worth having.”

Ferrell can next be seen in the Apple TV+ limited series The Shrink Next Door, in which he reunites with Anchorman co-star Paul Rudd. Based on a true story that originated as a podcast, the series centers on a bizarre and dysfunctional relationship that develops between a psychiatrist (Rudd) and his longtime patient (Ferrell).

The Shrink Next Door starts streaming on Apple TV+ on Nov. 12.

Source: THR

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/why-will-ferrell-turned-down-elf-2/

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