“Elf” Reunion Ends with Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel and Cast Singing “Jingle Bells.”
The virtual “Elf” reunion, a fundraiser for Georgia’s Democratic Senate candidates, ended with the cast singing “Jingle Bells.”
USA TODAY
With Thanksgiving officially in the rearview mirror, you may be dreaming of a white Christmas; Meanwhile, the casting director of “Elf” dreams of a remake.
Twenty years ago, moviegoers met Buddy (Will Ferrell), the smiling tall elf who left the North Pole in search of his biological father, the tough Walter Hobbs (James Caan).
The film’s casting director, Susie Farris, revealed her choice to star in a remake of the Christmas film (though there isn’t one currently in the works) in an interview with People magazine. Farris chose another Saturday Night Live alum for the role: Bill Hader.
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“I just find him quirky and adorable,” Farris told the outlet.
Hader, who didn’t overlap with Ferrell on “SNL,” has a Christmas movie under his belt. He and Anna Kendrick played Santa’s children in Disney’s 2019 film “Noelle.”
Ferrell revealed in a 2021 interview with that he fears “Elf” could be the “end” of his career. The film grossed more than $220 million at the worldwide box office, but Ferrell rejected a planned sequel and a $29 million payday.
“I should have promoted the film from an honest place, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good.’ “I just couldn’t turn down that much money,” he told THR. “And I thought, ‘Can I really say those words?’ “I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.'”
Will Ferrell declined $29 million for “Elf” sequel: “Oh no, that’s not good”
In 2020, Ferrell virtually reunited with his “Elf” love interest Zooey Deschanel and other cast members – Ed Asner, Bob Newhart, Andy Richter, Amy Sedaris and Mary Steenburgen – for a Democratic fundraiser.
John Lithgow, Wanda Sykes, Ed Helms and other stars joined in and played various roles during a live virtual script reading for “Elf.” In the end, the reunion exceeded its goal of raising more than $400,000 for the Democratic Party of Georgia.
Contributor: Bryan Alexander