Elf Casting Director Has The Perfect Will Ferrell Replacement For A Remake
It's been 20 years since Will Ferrell charmed audiences with his portrayal of Buddy, the towering human Christmas elf who treks to New York City from the North Pole in search of his biological father (played by James Caan). The 2003 movie was titled simply "Elf," and it was released just one year after Ferrell left "Saturday Night Live" following a seven-year run. Ferrell's comedic timing helped make "Elf" a modern Christmas classic. While donning yellow tights and a pointy green hat, he spewed lines such as "Son of a nutcracker!" and feel-good messages like "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."
It's hard to imagine anyone other than Ferrell playing the childlike Buddy the elf. Twenty years later, no sequel is in the works, but given her way, "Elf" casting director Susie Farris would cast the role of Buddy with another SNL alum. "Off the top of my head, I'm just going to say Bill Hader," Farris told People magazine in a 2023 interview. "I just think that he's quirky and endearing."
Hader appeared on SNL from 2005 to 2013, so he missed working with Ferrell by three years. But like Ferrell, he capped off his run on the late-night sketch comedy series with a Christmas movie. Hader wasn't an elf; he was actually one better as far as the Christmas hierarchy goes. He played Santa's son, Nick Kringle, in the 2019 holiday flick "Noelle."
Will Ferrell turned down an Elf sequel
"Elf" was a box-office smash hit, earning over $220 million globally. Given the success of the film, it's a shock that there hasn't been a sequel starring Bill Hader or anyone else. "I think if Will [Ferrell] wanted to do a sequel, there would be a sequel," "Elf" casting director Susie Farris told People magazine. She explained, "I've read that Will felt like he gave this character all that he could give it."
In a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ferrell admitted he turned down a proposed sequel that would have come with a $29 million paycheck. The reason? He couldn't get on board with the script. "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,'" the actor revealed. "And I thought, 'Can I actually say those words? I don't think I can, so I guess I can't do the movie.'"
While he admitted that he initially thought "Elf" could mark the end of his acting career, Ferrell did embrace the original movie. During an interview on "The Late Late Show With James Corden," the actor said that after running around New York City in yellow tights to shoot exterior footage for "Elf," he thought to himself, "This is either going to be a home run or people are gonna go, 'Whatever happened to you? Why did you do that one about the elf?'" In the end, Ferrell said, "Elf" was one of those films where "the stars aligned."