U2’s The Edge Wrote an ‘Elf’ Sequel, But It ‘Petered Out and Never Happened,’ Says Andy Richter

According to Andy Richter, U2’s the Edge penned a script for a sequel to “Elf” — but fans will likely never get to see (or read) it.

On a recent episode of “Obsessed: The Podcast,” the actor explained that Shauna Robertson, who’d produced the original film, once received a message saying that the band member, also known as David Howell Evans, had written a script for “Elf 2”

“Somebody reached out to her and said, ‘The Edge from U2 has written a sequel to ‘Elf,’ and he wants to talk to you about it,’” Richter said. “It’s the weirdest story, but apparently it was fully written. Somewhere in the world there is an Edge-penned ‘Elf 2’ out there… I would love for that to make the light of day. It never happened. It’s one of those things where she’s like, ‘All right, sure, I’ll meet him,’ and then it just petered out and never happened.”

In addition to the Edge, “Old School” and “The Hangover Part II” writer Scot Armstrong penned a separate sequel script about “the evil South Pole elves kidnapping Santa or something like that,” said Richter. (He also noted that Armstrong had helped write “Elf,” but wasn’t credited for guild and procedural reasons.)

And yet despite how beloved the holiday classic remains 23 years later, Richter is steadfast in the belief that a sequel isn’t necessary at this point. “I’m on the side of ‘Let it stand,’” he said. ”Just let ‘Elf’ be ‘Elf.’ You don’t have to use every part of the animal.”

He continued: “Now that time has passed, the movie has become so special that I think that people, rightfully so, are loath to mess with it because we all can think of movies that have been tarnished by their sequels. And this is so special and so perfect and so beloved… Why risk it?”

“Elf,” directed by Jon Favreau, originally hit theaters in 2003, starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen and others. The Christmas classic followed Buddy the elf (Ferrell), who travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs (Caan).

Ritcher appeared briefly in the film as one of Hobbs’ colleagues and co-wrote the book “Elf Unwrapped: Behind the Scenes of a Modern Christmas Classic,” released Tuesday.