Elf Nearly Cast Katie Holmes as Jovie, Zooey Deschanel Reveals
Elf almost had a different Jovie: Zooey Deschanel says Katie Holmes was originally offered the role before she teamed with Will Ferrell in the holiday classic.
Here is a fun holiday what-if for your next 'Elf' rewatch: Zooey Deschanel almost didn’t play Jovie. The role was first offered to Katie Holmes. Yes, really.
The Jovie almost played by Katie Holmes
Deschanel says that when she showed up to meet director Jon Favreau, he basically told her not to bother reading sides because they had already offered Jovie to Holmes. He still asked her to hang for a chat, which had an odd upside: with the pressure off, she stopped psyching herself out. No nerves, no overthinking, just a conversation.
Then Holmes dropped out. Deschanel got the call. The rest you know: 'Elf' hit big, pulled in over $228 million worldwide, and settled into its current status as a modern Christmas staple.
So, about 'Elf 2'...
People have tried. Will Ferrell says there was a sequel script and he was offered a massive payday to put the suit back on — $29 million, which is basically the entire production budget of the first movie.
"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.'"
Favreau isn’t pushing for it either. In 2023, he told Variety he didn’t really see a story worth telling after where the first film leaves things.
"I think there’s always room for new Christmas movies; that particular film, I don’t know what story would be told after that. It’s very complete."
- Zooey Deschanel landed Jovie only after an initial offer to Katie Holmes fell through.
- Jon Favreau told Deschanel at her meeting that Holmes had the offer, which weirdly made Deschanel relax.
- 'Elf' went on to earn over $228 million worldwide and became a holiday classic.
- A sequel script existed; Will Ferrell turned down $29 million because it felt like a retread.
- Favreau also isn’t interested, calling the original story complete.
Short version: the near-miss casting twist made the original what it is, and for now, everyone involved seems happy to let it stay that way.