U2‘s The Edge has spoken out after an unlikely story emerged that he had written a sequel to Will Ferrell‘s Christmas comedy Elf.
Earlier this month, comedian and actor Andy Richter revealed that the guitarist had written an unproduced follow-up to the 2003 film, directed by Jon Favreau.
Richter, who appeared in Elf as children’s author Morris, explained that the film’s producer Shauna Robertson had been contacted about the U2 guitarist’s proposed sequel, but the project ultimately went nowhere.
Now, The Edge has addressed the story himself in a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning.
“It’s an outrage for someone to suggest that I would write a script,” he joked. “I wrote a treatment – it’s a different thing – for my own amusement, yes.”
He explained that coming up with film ideas was something he had experienced several times in the past.
“This happened to me about three or four times. I will wake up, and I will have a complete movie outline in my head,” he said.
Recalling his idea for Elf 2, he added: “This morning, I woke up with this idea in my head for a sequel to Elf.”
The guitarist said he was a huge fan of the original film and had written down his ideas before discussing them with a friend who worked as a film producer.
“I think I just shared it with a couple of people,” he explained. “Honestly, I thought it was so far-fetched that I didn’t take it terribly seriously. But you never know.”
The revelation appeared to come as news to the rest of U2, with Bono asking where the story had come from and declaring: “This is very big news.”
When the frontman wondered whether Ferrell was only now learning about the proposed sequel, The Edge laughed: “He might be finding out about it right now.”
Meanwhile, U2 released their 16th studio album ‘Carnaval De Luz’ yesterday (November 13), marking their first full-length record of new material since 2017’s ‘Songs Of Experience’.
The album received a three-star review from NME, which praised the band’s renewed energy and concluded that “for the first time in a long time, U2 sound more playful than preachy”.
The Edge also recently spoke to NME about the album, describing its themes of optimism and togetherness as a response to an increasingly divided world.
“The big enemy right now is despondency,” he said. “Defiant joy is the sense that the future is something we can co-author, and not to give in to this doom-mongering.”
U2 are preparing for their ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ world stadium tour in 2027, which will visit Latin America and Europe. Wolf Alice will support the UK and European dates, including four concerts at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June. Tickets are on sale now – find yours here.
