Son of a nutcracker! According to a poster on social media, Will Ferrell is returning as Buddy in Elf 2 in time for Christmas 2025 – but is it true?
Elf is widely regarded as one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made. The original film followed Buddy, a human raised at the North Pole who journeys to New York to meet his father (played by the late James Caan), where he falls in love with a toy shop employee (Zooey Deschanel).
Considering its success (nearly $230 million worldwide, yearly screenings, and its status as a modern classic), it wouldn’t have been surprising to see it get a sequel.
Well, it’s not for lack of trying (more on that shortly), but if you’re among the thousands excited to see Elf 2 this year, prepare for some bad news.
Elf 2 poster debunked
Sorry, but Elf 2 isn’t coming out in 2025, nor is a sequel in development.
You’ve been duped by a fake poster shared by YODA BBY ABY, a Facebook page that regularly posts made-up movies.
“In December 2025, Elf 2 brings Will Ferrell back as Buddy the Elf, who partners with his sly former rival Miles Finch (Peter Dinklage) on a ‘Buddy the Elf’ toy line, only to uncover a shocking plot of surveillance devices hidden in the dolls, threatening Christmas and his reputation,” the post reads – this is also completely fake.
“With his half-brother Michael’s (Daniel Tay) tech skills, wife Jovie’s (Zooey Deschanel) unwavering support, and adoptive mother Emily’s (Mary Steenburgen) community spirit, Buddy embarks on a laugh-out-loud mission through absurd traps and high-stakes showdowns to expose Miles’ treachery.”
“Bursting with Ferrell’s wild humor, Dinklage’s sharp villainy, and heartfelt holiday magic, this festive sequel hits cinemas with a jolly tale of redemption and Christmas cheer!”
After one day, it’s amassed more than 2,000 shares, which means it’s probably gaining enough momentum to fool even more people. Let it be clear: Elf 2 is not coming out this year. You’ll just need to watch the first one instead.
Will Elf 2 ever happen?
It’s highly unlikely Elf 2 will ever happen, given the lack of enthusiasm from Ferrell and director Jon Favreau.
Appearing on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live in 2013, Ferrell said: “I just think it would look slightly pathetic if I tried to squeeze back in the elf tights… Buddy the middle-aged elf.”
Three years later, the chances of a follow-up got a positive update from Favreau – though he wasn’t eager to direct a “straight sequel.”
“In the beginning there was talk of sequel, and it never came to be, probably for the best, as now it exists as its own thing. But it comes up,” he told Yahoo Movies UK.
“I hear from the studio who pitch me different takes on it. There is part of me that wonders if there’s anything to be done to follow up Elf, but I think a straight sequel is probably not the right move.
“There’s so many ways to skin that cat. You can play with the narrative structure and you can play with things in a way where you could do a cool version that the fans would like, and the people that were involved in it might be so charmed by it that they’d be involved in some other capacity.”
In an interview with IGN, Ferrell explained why he’s so reluctant to reprise his role as Buddy. “I don’t think either of us are ever on that side of ever wanting to rush into a sequel of things that we really care about,” he said.
“If you can figure that out and come up with a story that justifies having an extension of the first one, then great. I’ve been asked and begged and prodded to do a sequel to that movie, and I’m with you.”
There may be more to their apprehension. In 2020, Caan told Cleveland’s 92.3 The Fan’s Bull & Fox Show that Favreau and Ferrell “didn’t get along very well.”
“I thought, ‘Oh my god, I finally got a franchise movie, I could make some money, let my kids do what the hell they want to do,'” Caan said.
“So, Will wanted to do it, he didn’t want the director, and he had it in his contract; it was one of those things.”
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