A beloved Christmas hit, Elf has been re-watched every year and its supporting cast has been firmly cemented in the minds of its fans - but one part was almost played by another star ...

Christmas megahit Elf was released in 2003 and stars Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf alongside a supporting cast made up of James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart ...

Elf was an instant holiday classic, but the film wouldn't have been made had the screenwriter not written a different, unproduced Christmas rom-com.