Happy Gilmore Sequel Officially Happening at Netflix

This year marks 28 years since Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore hit theaters, and there have been rumors about a sequel for quite some time. The film followed Sandler has Happy Gilmore, a failed hockey player who takes his talents (and anger issues) to the world of golf. In 2021, Sandler jokingly agreed to greenlight the movie, but it became more of a reality when he revealed last month that he was working on ideas for a sequel. During Netflix’s upfronts today, the sequel was officially confirmed by the streamer (via Variety). 

The Happy Gilmore news started to feel real back in March when Christopher McDonald, who played Happy’s rival Shooter McGavin, told Cleveland’s 92.3 The Fan radio show that he had seen a draft of the sequel’s script.  “I saw Adam about two weeks ago, and he says to me, ‘McDonald, you’re gonna love this.’ I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘How ’bout that,’ [and] he shows me the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2.’”

McDonald continued, “Maybe you should cut that out (of this audio) because I don’t wanna be a liar, but he did show me that, and I thought, ‘Well, that would be awesome.’ So, it’s in the works. Fans demand it, dammit.”

Who Will Return For Happy Gilmore 2? 

Currently, only Sandler is confirmed to be returning as the titular golfer in Happy Gilmore 2, but it’s likely McDonald will also be back in the mix. The film also starred Julie Bown as Virginia Vent, and it’s hard to imagine the sequel without her. Considering she reunited with Sandler for Netflix’s Hubie Halloween in 2020, we have to assume she enjoys working with the actor. 

Sadly, some of the film’s other major players have passed away. Frances Bay, who played Happy’s grandmother, died in 2011 at the age of 92. Carl Weathers, who played Happy’s mentor Chubbs, passed away earlier this year at age 76. While Chubbs died in the first Happy Gilmore, he did appear in ghost form at the end of the film, so you never know what could have happened in the sequel if he was still with us. The movie also featured memorable appearances by Richard Kiel (Mr. Larson) who passed in 2014 at age 74, and Bob Barker, who famously played himself in the movie. The iconic game show host died last year at age 99.

“The man. The myth. The best. Such a sweet funny guy to hang out with,” Sander tweeted after Barker passed. “Loved talking to him. Loved laughing with him. Loved him kicking the crap out of me. He will be missed by everyone I know! Heartbreaking day. Love to Bob always and his family! Thanks for all you gave us!”

Stay tuned for more updates about Happy Gilmore 2.