Sad reason why there will never be an Elf sequel despite its huge success

You'd think that, if producers of much-loved festive flick Elf wanted to have brought out a sequel, they'd have done it by now.

After all, the Will Ferrell hit was first released a staggering 21 years ago - so, plenty of time to have developed a follow-up film.

Interestingly, however, there's actually a very specific - and frankly, heartbreaking - reason why movie bosses haven't taken the idea of a sequel any further, which has only been revealed to the public recently.

If you haven't yet rattled through all your Christmas classics this year - or just need a little reminder of what Elf is all about - the feature-length film tells the story of Buddy the Elf, played by funny-man Ferrell.

Despite being a full-sized human, a mix-up after his birth sees orphan Buddy raised in the North Pole as one of Santa's elves.

Only when he's older is the news of his true nature revealed, leading him on a mission to New York, where he hopes to be reunited with his birth parents.

Eventually, he meets his formidable businessman father - played by James Caan - who has since gone on to set up a family of his own, and already has another son.

Despite this, the family welcomes him in and attempt to acclimatise to his elfish habits, like daily carol singing and maple syrup on every meal.

Buddy also gets his first job, falls in love with a toy store worker in the form of Zooey Deschanel, and helps Santa deliver presents when his sleigh breaks down by spreading Christmas cheer.

The film was released in 2003 (Warner Bros. Entertainment)

While far from critically-acclaimed, Elf is often credited as one of the most successful films of all time.

With such a prestigious reputation, you'd imagine that producers wouldn't be able to wait to release a sequel.

Over two decades later, however, and the happy hit remains a standalone. But why?

Well, prior to his tragic passing in 2022, The Godfather star Caan revealed that lead actor Will Ferrell and the film's director endured an extremely turbulent relationship.

Claiming that he, Deschanel and his on-screen wife Mary Steenburgen were all uber-keen for a sequel, he confessed: "We were gonna do it and 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'.

"But the director and Will didn't get along very well."

He added that, while Ferrell was also up for a follow-up film, he wouldn't work for director Jon Favreau again.

"He had it in his contract, it was one of those things," Caan told press.

Ferrell reportedly didn't get on with Elf's director (L. Cohen/WireImage for New Line Cinema)

Apparently, Ferrell was offered a mind-blowing £29 million for an Elf sequel, but turned down the colossal pay cheque over his principles, with the Anchorman actor later poking fun at the prospect of attempting to make an equally-successful remark.

"I just think it would look slightly pathetic if I tried to squeeze back in the elf tights. Buddy the middle-aged Elf," he recently joked.