Will Ferrell Is The Biggest Christmas Hero This Side Of Santa For Turning Down $29 Million To Do Elf 2 Because He Thought The Script Sucked
Yahoo- Will Ferrell walked away from $29 million because the sequel to Elf was apparently just that bad. In a rare sit-down interview, the comedian shed light on some of his career decisions including why he turned down Elf 2. The script was written, Ferrell told The Hollywood Reporter, but he couldn't get over the rehashed premise.
"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,'" Ferrell, 54, said. "And I thought, 'Can I actually say those words? I don't think I can, so I guess I can't do the movie.'"
I am sure there are plenty of people that would call Will Ferrell a cotton headed ninny muggins for turning down tens of millions of dollars to do a sequel to a movie or saying he is sitting on a throne of lies for saying he did. But Will Ferrell has never struck me as a liar, so I'll believe it.
I can't imagine how many actors have signed off on an easy payday to star in a shit sequel because they want to get a third beach house in Malibu. You think Mr. Narwhal is turning down that type of cash no matter how bad a movie is? Fuck no. Last I heard he lost his home in the Hills years ago and now lets people do whatever they want with his horn for five minutes in exchange for all the loose change they have in their pockets.
If you go to MovieRankings.net, there is no shortage of awful sequels without a morsel of butter on their review. However, Will Ferrell shitting out an Elf sequel not only would have ruined the original Elf, it would have in turn ruined Christmas since Elf is in Tier 1 of movies you watch before Saint Nick squeezes his fat ass down the chimney alongside Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story (I am not going anywhere near the Die Hard debate before Halloween).
Ruining a movie franchise is one thing, but ruining the best holiday season on the planet is criminal, no matter how much money you made in exchange for your soul. To be honest, I'm actually pissed off that the Elf 2 script was even made considering the big wigs in charge of it said in The Elf episode of The Movies That Made Us, which everyone should watch on Netflix at their earliest convenience, said their biggest focus was making a timeless Christmas movie. There is no chance that Elf 2 was going to be made for any reason outside of straight cash homie.
Besides, everyone with a brain knows that Elf already has a sequel and it fucking RULES.
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So shout out Will Ferrell for not taking the money and making an unnecessary sequel like he did with another classic.
One sequel Ferrell doesn't regret doing is Anchorman 2. He told THR it was "a sequel worth having."
For the record, my Christmas Heroes Power Rankings are as follows:
5. The Wise Man That Gave Gold
Everyone likes being the person that brought the good gift but nobody likes being the person that gave the gift absurdly better than everyone else. I personally would've pivoted to sand or hay once I found out frankincense and myrrh were the other two gifts. But this man was more honorable than he was wise, which is pretty respectable considering most parents need a hand after their first child is born and gold probably went even further back then than it does now.
Speaking of which…
4. Mary
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Gave birth to my Lord and savior in a MANGER, which is no small feat considering I've seen firsthand how crazy that shit can be in a sterilized hospital full of doctors and nurses. I suppose she should be higher on the list. But considering I already wrote the Top 3 out and didn't include her Son in the headline, who is the reason for the season, I guess we'll just have to power through this list without JC.
3. Will Ferrell
Gets the bronze medal for simply not ruining a movie franchise that fuels the lead up to my favorite holiday as described thoroughly in the previous paragraphs of nonsense.
2. Santa
Flies around the world, delivers a gazillion gifts, and most importantly is someone whose name parents can weaponize to their kids to behave better. I know the headline would have you think he is number 1, however that honor goes to…
1. John McClane
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Yeah, Die Hard is a Christmas movie and John McClane is the greatest hero in the history of cinema as well as the world. This debate may have been beaten to an inch of its life like Karl was in Nakatomi, but I don't care so deal with it.