Will Ferrell turned down $29M for ‘Elf 2’ because he’s ‘honest’

Will Ferrell’s 2003 Christmas movie “Elf” has cemented itself arsenic a vacation classical passim the years.

Despite the cheery flick grossing implicit $220 cardinal astatine the box office astatine the clip and adjacent spawning a 2010 Broadway musical, a sequel ne'er came astir to fruition.

Ferrell, 54, has been candid successful the past astir saying nary to a $29 cardinal connection to prima successful a 2nd film. Now, the comedian is opening up arsenic to wherefore helium turned down the multimillion dollar paycheck.

“I would person had to beforehand the movie from an honorable place, which would’ve been, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good. I conscionable couldn’t crook down that overmuch money,’” the “Anchorman” prima revealed successful a recent illustration for the Hollywood Reporter. “And I thought, ‘Can I really accidental those words? I don’t deliberation I can, truthful I conjecture I can’t bash the movie.’” 

The “Saturday Night Live” alum explained mode backmost when, successful a 2006 interrogation with the Guardian astir the “Elf” sequel and the $29 cardinal offer.

“That’s what was connected connection for it. But I killed the thought of a sequel. I ne'er liked it — $29 [million] does look a batch of wealth for a feline to deterioration tights, but it’s what the marketplace volition bear,” he told the publication. “It’s insane, but it’s not my call. The studios perpetuate it and they marque it hard to accidental no.”

He added that turning down the currency “wasn’t hard astatine all.” He continued, “I retrieve asking myself: could I withstand the disapproval erstwhile it’s atrocious and they say, ‘He did the sequel for the money?’ I decided I wouldn’t beryllium capable to. I didn’t privation to rotation into an country that could erase each the bully enactment I’ve done – but you watch, I’ll bash immoderate sequel successful the aboriginal that’s crap.”

“Elf” prima James Caan previously hinted that Ferrell and manager Jon Favreau did not get on connected acceptable and thus, axed immoderate accidental for a Christmas sequel. Favreau, 55, and Ferrell hated each different truthful much, that the “Funny oregon Die” laminitis refused to prima successful different “Elf” movie if the filmmaker stayed on.

The Christmas drama starred Ferrell, James Caan, Ed Asner, Bob Newhart and Zooey Deschanel. ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Evere

“We were gonna bash it and I thought, ‘Oh my God, I yet got a franchise movie, I could marque immoderate money, fto my kids bash what the hellhole they privation to do,’” Caan told the vigor presumption 92.3 Cleveland past year. “And the manager and Will didn’t get on precise well. So, Will wanted to bash it, helium didn’t privation the director, and helium had it successful his contract, it was 1 of those things.”