Happy Gilmore 2 confirmed by Netflix, Adam Sandler to return 30 years after original film
Adam Sandler will star in an upcoming Happy Gilmore sequel. Photo / AP
A sequel to Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore has finally been confirmed by Netflix.
The original comedy film, released in 1996, featured Sandler as Gilmore, a hockey player with anger issues who discovers a hidden talent for golfing.
The film was directed by Dennis Dugan and co-written by Sandler, and is one of the actor’s most popular films so far.
It follows Gilmore as he heads off on a golf tour, playing for money to rescue his grandmother’s home and going head to head with pro golfer Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald). The film also stars Carl Weathers and Modern Family star Julie Bowen.
The news was announced at a Netflix upfront event in New York this week. However, the streamer shared no information on other cast members, plot details, or who will write and direct the long-awaited sequel.
It comes only weeks after American actor Christopher McDonald, who played the original film’s villain Shooter McGavin, admitted a second film was in the works during a radio interview.
McDonald told Audacy’s 92.3 The Fan, “I saw Adam about two weeks ago ... and he showed me the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2,” he said.
He then joked the radio hosts might want to “cut that out” from the interview.
“I don’t wanna be a liar, but he did show me that, and I thought, ‘Well, that would be awesome’,” the star continued.
“So, it’s in the works. Fans demand it, dammit!”
While McDonald didn’t share any more details, he said he was “very, very pleased” with the script so far.
Sandler was only 29 when he made the film, co-writing it through his production company Happy Madison.
The film also starred Ben Stiller, Frances Bay, Kevin Nealon, Carl Weathers, who died this year at the age of 76, and Joe Flaherty, who died in April at the age of 82.
At the time of its release, Happy Gilmore received mixed reviews from film critics. However, it was a success on a commercial level, being made for only US$12 million (NZ$20m at today’s rates) and earning US$41.2 million at the box office worldwide.