Will Ferrell Wanted for 'Elf' Sequel

Director Jon Favreau and star Ferrell are being courted to make a sequel to the surprise hit of Christmas 2003.

Mar  2 2005

Will Ferrell may just be the busiest man in showbiz at the moment, with no fewer than ten films either in production, about to go into production or waiting to be released.

This year alone sees the big guy star in Woody Allen's 'Melinda and Melinda', TV remake 'Bewitched', football comedy 'Kicking and Screaming', and the movie of the musical of the movie 'The Producers'.

And for much of this success the in-demand actor can thank 'Elf', the surprise festive hit of 2003 that put Ferrell on the international map in spectacular fashion and went on to gross more than $220 million worldwide.

Those box office figures made good reading for the men in suits at studio New Line; so much so that talk has recently turned to a possible sequel, the imaginatively titled 'Elf 2'.

The company is currently in negotiation with Ferrell to reprise his role as Buddy, the oversized elf with a heart of gold, and thanks to recent successes 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' and 'Starsky & Hutch', it looks as if Ferrell will be able to demand an equally oversized pay packet for his services.

Indeed it sounds like the project is entirely reliant on Ferrell's involvement, with producer Toby Emmerich admitting: 'We're only going to make this if it's with Will.'

Behind the scenes, original 'Elf' director Jon Favreau has first refusal on the project, while Scott Armstrong, who did uncredited work on the first film and also co-wrote 'Old School', may well be charged with writing the script.

To use a nonsensical footballing term, it's early doors yet for the sequel, and with Ferrell tied up well into 2006 don't expect the film to hit cinemas any time soon, but rest assured we'll keep all you 'Elf' fans up to date on the project's progress as and when it happens.

• 
•