Adam Sandler Reveals Why He Signed on for ‘Happy Gilmore 2'
Later this week, "Happy Gilmore 2" will release worldwide on Netflix. One look at the trailers for the highly anticipated sequel shows a star-studded film that took years to produce, and Adam Sandler is revealing just how long the wait truly was.
In an interview with Michael Strahan for ABC's "Good Morning America," Sandler explained that he was against the idea of a sequel for the better part of the last 30 years.
"When I walk down the street, a lot of times people will say, 'You ever gonna do Happy Gilmore 2?’ And for 28 years, I was like, 'What are you talking about? No.' And then all of a sudden, I was like 'Maybe.'"
Sandler was able to bring back several members of the original cast for the sequel, including Ben Stiller, Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald, who plays Gilmore's rival Shooter McGavin.
“What I love about Adam Sandler is his heart. He's got so much love for people," McGavin said earlier this year in an interview with People.
"And he's done some amazing work in the last few years. So I'm very happy for him."
Sandler, McDonald and the rest of the originals will be joined by several of today's best golfers like Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau. Bad Bunny plays Gilmore's caddy in the film, and athletes like professional wrestler MJF and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce are also featured.
"The movie itself picks up from an older guy who played golf a long time,” Sandler said on the "New Heights" podcast, speaking to both Travis and his brother Jason Kelce.
“Some stuff goes on in his life, and he's different — he's a bit of a mess. And then we try to get his life cooking again."
The film will release without Carl Weathers, who played Gilmore's mentor "Chubbs" Peterson in the first movie. Weathers, an accomplished actor, died in February of 2024.
“I would talk to Carl, and we were excited [for the sequel], and then Carl passed away,” Sandler said in an interview with Collider.
“We had to rewrite a lot of the stuff, and even what the story was. We made a lot of nice references to how great Chubbs was in the movie. That was the biggest change.”
"Happy Gilmore 2" will be released on July 25 on Netflix.