U2 guitarist The Edge has addressed recent reports claiming he wrote a sequel to Will Ferrell’s 2003 holiday comedy Elf.
Earlier this month, actor and comedian Andy Richter—who appeared in the original film as children’s author Morris—revealed that the musician had drafted an unproduced follow-up for director Jon Favreau. Richter explained that producer Shauna Robertson had been contacted regarding the proposal, though the project never advanced.
In a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning, The Edge clarified the nature of his involvement.
“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 described a recurring phenomenon where fully formed movie outlines arrive in his mind upon waking. “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 the specific inspiration for Elf 2, he added: “This morning, I woke up with this idea in my head for a sequel to Elf.” The guitarist, a fan of the original film, documented the concept and shared it with a friend who works 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 surprise his bandmates. Bono questioned the story’s origin, declaring, “This is very big news.” When the frontman asked if Ferrell was only now learning of 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, on November 13—their first full-length collection of new material since 2017’s Songs Of Experience. NME awarded the record three stars, praising the band’s renewed energy and concluding that “for the first time in a long time, U2 sound more playful than preachy.”
Speaking to NME about the album, The Edge described 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.”
The band is preparing for their “The Greatest Show On Earth” world stadium tour in 2027, with dates scheduled across Latin America and Europe. Wolf Alice will support the UK and European legs, including four nights at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June.