Everyone loves Elf. It’s a Christmas classic that people have enjoyed since its debut back in 2003. One would expect that a film that earned $220 million at the box office would lead to more films. Except, Elf 2 never happened and actor James Caan, who played Walter in the film, thinks he knows why.
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“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,” Caan told the Bull & Fox radio show (via Yahoo.) “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 a shame as Elf remains one of those must-watch Christmas flicks that simultaneously spreads Christmas cheer (for all to hear) and makes people laugh. It’s also a little weird to hear how such a production could lead to bad blood as everyone involved looks as if they’re having a blast. It is what it is, but maybe one day Ferrell and Favreau can bury the hatchet and give us more Buddy the Elf adventures.
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Here’s the official synopsis for Elf, in case you haven’t seen it: Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.
