Jon Favreau directed "Elf," but he also appeared in the film. Moreover, Favreau shows up not once but twice! He's the doctor who confirms that Buddy is Walter Hobbs's son, and he also voices the stop-motion narwhal at the beginning of the film. Favreau had directed films like "Swingers" before, but when "Elf" became a huge hit, it launched his directing career to new heights. "The movie did well, and now everybody thinks I'm a director," Favreau joked on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2004.
Favreau reportedly butted heads with "Elf" star Will Ferrell, according to James Caan. The actor called in to 92.3 The Fan back in 2020 and revealed, "The director and Will [Ferrell] didn't get along very well." Caan said that Ferrell was interested in a sequel, but he wanted to replace Favreau as director; Favreau's contract, on the other hand, said he would helm any sequel to the original film. Accordingly, no "Elf" follow-up ever materialized.
These days, Favreau is behind several "Star Wars" shows for Disney+, providing creative input and directorial services on shows like "The Mandalorian." He told IGN that he appreciates how his role lets him bring on a number of filmmakers to help shape stories. He explained, "With TV, you get to collaborate, you could take chances on different tones, you could take different chances on people who might be less experienced, but could also bring a lot to it."
