“A sequel to Elf was written, which would’ve paid him $29  million had Ferrell not balked at its rehashed premise. He says the decision to walk away was simple: ‘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.’ And I thought, ‘Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.'” Will Ferrell Just Wants to Entertain You (and Himself).