Everything We Know About 'Happy Gilmore 2'
Production, role reprisals, celebrity cameos and shooting locations.
Happy Gilmore 2, the sequel to the beloved 1996 film about a semi-pro hockey player-turned golf star, is well and truly on the way. Netflix began production officially on September 9 as shooting promptly began in New Jersey and pictures of Adam Sandler in costume gradually began to surface.
What began as a series of fan rumors turned into a fully fledged story when Christopher McDonald, the actor who played Happy’s nemesis in the original film, leaked the news on The Ken Carman Show. Sandler confirmed the news soon after that on The Dan Patrick Show and made further appearances on talk shows in the following months where he revealed more details about production, casting and plot lines.
A majority of the original team will return, most notably Tim Herlihy who co-wrote the first movie along with Sandler. Director Dennis Dugan and Robert Simonds are back to produce the film under Sandler’s production company Happy Madison. All of the updates are getting a bit difficult to follow at this point though, so we’ve rounded up the important information for you here.
Happy Gilmore 2 is officially in production ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/IznOshH5Es
— Netflix (@netflix) September 9, 2024
Role Reprisals
To state the obvious, the most important member of the cast is back to reprise his role: Adam Sandler. The 58-year-old comedian has already been photographed onset with his stand-in and told Jimmy Fallon that he was working on the patented running Happy Gilmore swing. Sandler’s counterpart Christopher McDonald is also back as Shooter McGavin (we actually interviewed him recently in Brooklyn), as is Julie Bowen who has appeared in multiple Sandler films over the years. Chubbs Peterson sadly will not be not a central character, unless he’s recast, given the recent passing of Carl Weathers.
Celebrity Cameos
It’s no surprise that plenty of big names will appear in the Gilmore sequel given golf’s ever-increasing exposure in pop culture. The man of the moment, Kansas City Chiefs tight end and avid golfer Travis Kelce, expressed his interest in the movie on the New Heights podcast. That, apparently, was enough to catch the attention of Sandler who has guaranteed Kelce a role in the upcoming movie. Other notable inclusions include Bad Bunny, who recently appeared in F9, Bullet Train and Cassandro, and pro golfer John Daly who carries a bit of a people’s champion persona similar to the fictional Gilmore. Hip hop artist Kid Cudi is the latest big name to come into the fold, while actress Margaret Qualley and professional wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman will also have minor roles.
Shooting Locations
Most of the shooting for Happy Gilmore 2 has taken place in central and coastal New Jersey over the course of the last two months. One can imagine this will lend the sequel more of a classic Americana feel compared to the original which was filmed in British Columbia, Canada. Indeed, behind the scenes footage of Sandler has so far revealed him in tree lined suburbs and sandy beaches. We can also surmise based on open casting by Grant Wilfley, which calls for “2000’s Golf Spectators”, that the movie will have at least two separate timelines.
Adam Sandler Fits
Bobby Bank/Gc Images/Getty Images
Bobby Bank/Gc Images/Getty Images
Last but not least, we’re happy to report that Adam Sandler’s effortlessly slouchy dad style has made its way into Happy Gilmore 2. At nearly 60-years-old, Sandler has a unique ability to wear a Superman t-shirt with gym shorts and trainers and somehow make it look like he’s simultaneously trying and not trying. Clad in yellow track pants and a zip-up hoodie on the Atlantic beaches of Jersey, it appears that Gilmore will embody the same aloofness of Sandler in his veteran years. It’s no stretch for a character who made golfing in a Boston Bruins hockey jersey his signature look.
When Will It Be Here?
The release date for Happy Gilmore 2 is yet to be known for certain. However the filming should wrap up this month, meaning we can assume that the movie should be ready by sometime in 2025.
