Will Ferrell reveals why there was never a sequel to Elf

With Christmas just ten days away, everyone seems to be cuddling up on the sofa and re-watching all the best Christmas movies.

From Love Actually and The Holiday to The Grinch and Gremlins, we are definitely not short of films to give us that festive feeling.

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Arguably, the most comforting one of all is none other than the holiday family-favourite, Elf, which first hit our screens back in 2003.

The film follows Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell, 55, come to the realisation that he is slightly different to those around him in the North Pole.

Upon discovering that he is not, in fact, an elf at all but a human, he travels to New York in a hopes to find his biological father.

Joining the 55-year-old in the film was a star-studded cast including the likes of Zooey Deschanel as Jovie, James Caan as Walter and Jon Favreau as Dr Leonardo.

However, due to the success and lasting legacy of Elf - many fans wonder why a sequel was never made to the adored Christmas film.

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In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Step Brothers star revealed exactly why this was.

He said: "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.'"

Sticking true to the morals he shares with Buddy the Elf, Ferrell went on to admit: "And I thought, 'Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.'"

The money in question would have been a hefty cheque for $29 million (£23.6m) - that can buy you a lot of Buddy the Elf's four major food groups: candy, candy corn, candy cane and syrup.

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With an impressive box office of over $220 million compared to its fraction of just a $33 million budget - it's obvious why producers were eager to put Ferrell back in yellow tights and a pointy hat again.

Over a decade later, the Anchorman star also admitted that it would be "pathetic" if he were to ever re-visit the role.

In another interview with Andy Cohen he revealed: "I just think it would look slightly pathetic if I tried to squeeze back in the elf tights: Buddy the middle-aged elf."

While we may all want to see more of our favourite human elf, maybe it's best not to tamper with a good thing and end up ruining it.

Who knows; maybe the hype around Elf is because it's strongest as a standalone smash.