5.14.2024 Update: The news is now official, and Netflix has green-lit the film. Happy with their arrangement, Netflix continues to stay in the Adam Sandler business as the streaming giant is developing a sequel to his 1990s golf comedy “Happy Gilmore.” Christopher McDonald, who played the original film’s villain, Shooter McGavin, and recently appeared in projects like “Hacks” and Marvel’s “Secret Invasion,” revealed on the Audacy radio show 92.3 The Fan that a sequel to the sports comedy is in the works. Deadline recently confirmed the report, too.
“I saw Adam about two weeks ago, and he says, ‘McDonald, you’re gonna love this,'” McDonald recalled to the radio show. “He shows me the first draft of ‘Happy Gilmore 2.’ He did show me that, and I thought, ‘Wow, that would be awesome.’ So it’s in the works. Fans, demand it, damn it!”
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In the 1996 comedy, Sandler played Happy Gilmore, an unemployed hockey player who has yet to accept that his skills on the ice have never been up to the level of pro athletes. While trying to recoup his grandmother’s repossessed house, Gilmore discovers he has a knack for driving golf balls to huge distances at a driving range. These superhuman drives and his unorthodox stance earn him the attention of a former gold pro (played by the late Carl Weathers), who takes him under his wing to earn quick cash on the professional circuit as his main rival, Shooter McGavin, attempts to push him out of the tournament.
Julie Bowen, who played Virginia Venit, was the film’s female lead and would later have some significant career success as part of the ABC sitcom “Modern Family.” She could likely be among the few returners for “Happy Gilmore 2” after reuniting with Sandler for the Halloween comedy “Hubie Halloween“; another Sandler/Netflix collaboration debuted back in 2020. Ben Stiller also played an unhinged orderly at a retirement home, although it’s unclear if he’d get involved with a sequel.
“Happy Gilmore” is one of the handful of beloved Sandler comedies that, while having juvenile comedic sequences, also had a little more effort and heart, making it slightly more memorable than other films. The 1996 film was co-written by Sandler and his longtime writing partner, Tim Herlihy, whom he also worked with on “Billy Madison,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Big Daddy,” and more.