‘Elf’ Producer Celebrates 20th Anniversary Sharing Mature Direction It Almost Went

Buddy the Elf has been singing of Christmas cheer for all to here for 20 years now. Today, it is a regular fixture on holiday-themed TV, appearing in the seasonal rotation with the same frequency and reverence as Home Alone and A Christmas Story. But as Elf celebrates its 20th anniversary producer Todd Komarnicki revealed that the movie almost appeared much darker.

Released on November 7, 2003, Elf tells the story of a human named Buddy (Will Ferrell) raised by Santa’s Christmas elves in the North Pole; in search of the truth about his identity, he ventures from his whimsical home to New York City to meet his dad Walter (James Caan). Along the way, he finds love in jaded store clerk Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) and restores the Christmas spirit to his half-brother Michael (Daniel Tay).

‘Elf’ was going to have much darker content

Back in 2018, Komarnicki revealed to Yahoo Entertainment some of the more mature content Elf was supposed to include. “[The director] was like, ‘The movie’s not edgy enough — nobody’s gonna come to this movie,'” Komarnicki revealed. At the time, the person sharing these ideas was just a candidate for the role.

RELATED: The Cast Of The Christmas Movie ‘Elf’: Then And Now

He continued to recall how the individual originally wanted Jovie to have a boyfriend living with her in her rundown apartment – and this boyfriend would have been abusive to her.

“I imagine a lot of the movie taking place in her apartment on the Lower East Side,” the unnamed director mused, according to Komarnicki, a far cry from the film’s North Pole with a cameo from Ralphie. “I see one of those dented doors with the big metal thing, but it’s not safe for her because Jovie’s boyfriend beats her.” This candidate was not chosen and Komarnicki even jokingly added, “I think that director is currently in prison.”

The ‘Elf’ celebrating its 20th anniversary this year almost looked very different in more ways than one

Ultimately, Jon Favreau was chosen for the job of directing Elf, ultimately making it into the cheery yet emotional Christmas classic that’s still as beloved on its 20th anniversary as it was years ago. Even so, there were still a few changes the team had to figure out along the way.

For example, in the final product, it’s Deschanel as Jovie who sings the divisive “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which enamors Buddy. But Deschanel was “probably their fifth choice,” the actress admitted. “I was not a known person, but [Jon Favreau] wanted whoever they cast to be someone who had a special skill.” Upon hearing Deschanel show off her pipes, Favreau decided that skill would be singing and Deschanel would be their Jovie.