Scandals of Elf from sacked babies and actor swaps to Will Ferrell 'feud that killed sequel'
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It's the ultimate Christmas film of all time, but the scandals of Elf meant there was never a sequel. The 2003 movie has been a firm favourite since it first came out, and Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf quickly became a household name. But while Elf captured everyone's hearts in the classic movie, there were some murky secrets and scandals that rocked the Hollywood film set.
From feuds to children being fired, the bubbly Christmas film almost looked completely different. Here's five offscreen dramas fans might be surprised to learn about - and the reason why there may never be a sequel. The script for Elf was written back in 1993 with Grinch star Jim Carrey in mind for the lead. Back then, he was yet to become a household name with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, but by the time the project got the green light 10 years later, Jim had moved on. And so Saturday Night Live comedian Will Ferrell stepped into one of his first roles since leaving the show.
You're never too young to get sacked, as proven when twin boys, both with curly blonde hair, were given their marching orders. The babies were supposed to play a young Buddy and smile and crawl on demand, but instead, all they did was cry. In the end, brunette triplet girls had to be drafted in to replace them.
Buddy's penchant for maple syrup and sweets had a horrible side effect for actor Will, who suffered agonising headaches and insomnia as a result. "That was tough. I ingested a lot of sugar in this movie and I didn't get a lot of sleep," he told The Sun.
