Adam Sandler is ready to take a swing at Happy Gilmore 2 for Netflix. The streamer announced Monday that the feature sequel to the 1996 comedy film is ready to start rolling. Kyle Newacheck (Murder Mystery) is helming the movie from a script by Sandler and Tim Herlihy. The original Universal Pictures film was directed by Dennis Dugan, who also helmed such other Sandler-led hits as Big Daddy and Grown Ups.
“Happy Gilmore 2 is officially in production,” the official Netflix account posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. The post included a photo from the set showing a likeness of the Boston Bruins hockey jersey that Sandler’s character donned in the first film.
Sandler took to Instagram on Monday, which is his 58th birthday, to share the same photo, along with the message, “It ain’t over. The way I see it… we’ve only just begun.” Sandler delivers a similar line in the original movie to rival Shooter McGavin, played by Christopher McDonald.
Plot details have not yet been shared about the sequel. Happy Gilmore starred Sandler as an unsuccessful hockey player who becomes an unlikely golf sensation, thanks to his monster drives.
McDonald let the cat out of the bag earlier this year when he said during a radio interview that a script for a sequel was in the works. The project was officially announced a couple of months later, with Netflix posting to social media in May, “Happy Gilmore is back! Adam Sandler will reprise his iconic role in a brand new movie coming to Netflix.”
Sandler has said in recent media appearances that Benny Safdie will have a role in Happy Gilmore 2, while NFL star Travis Kelce will make a cameo. McDonald will also reprise his role as Shooter.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sandler shared his excitement about revisiting the popular character.
“The idea that me and my buddy Tim Herlihy had and the more we talked about it and scene to scene worked on it, it built, and we feel very strong about the movie itself,” Sandler said at the time. “We’re happy where it’s at and this is an exciting time for us. I don’t know how all of a sudden our brains said, ‘Let’s do that.’ It just kind of happened.”
In 2015, Dugan told THR that he didn’t see a Happy Gilmore sequel as likely to happen. At the time, the filmmaker said about Sandler, “I can’t imagine he’d ever do that, but it’s Hollywood, so you never say that’ll never happen.”
Details about the much-anticipated “Happy Gilmore” sequel have been scant, but one notable development has come to light this week: the film’s primary shoot location.
The 433-word correspondence, a copy of which was obtained by GOLF.com, does not cite the film by name but GOLF.com has confirmed that the referenced shoot is for the next installment of “Happy Gilmore,” the 1996 cult classic golf comedy starring and co-written by Adam Sandler. That the sequel, which Netflix is producing, will be filmed in New Jersey is unsurprising given its talent-spotters conducted an open casting call for extras at a hotel in nearby Morristown last month.
“Earlier this summer, the club was contacted by Netflix who were seeking a location to film a movie,” begins the memo, which Fiddler’s membership received Thursday afternoon. “After weeks of site visits, discussions, and negotiation we are pleased to report that Netflix has chosen Fiddler’s Elbow as the site to film most of the scenes in the movie.”
A source told GOLF.com that the crew is expected to begin shooting in early October.
Fiddler’s Elbow opened in 1965 with 27 holes; it since has expanded to housing three regulation 18-hole courses (River, Meadow and Forest), all of which will serve as settings in the movie, the trustees said. According to the memo, the Meadow course’s front nine “will experience more extensive alterations and filming. The staff and management of the club are working hard to re-route holes and provide the best experience possible. The plans are constantly evolving but, at this point, it looks likely that we will shut down three holes for the remainder of the season and an additional hole for two weeks.”
The memo continues: “The club views the filming of this movie much like other clubs when they host PGA/LPGA tour events. The membership must endure a short period of disruption for a lifetime of memories and the pride knowing your club was chosen out of many other choices. The total time on property will be approximately two months while filming will last four to five weeks. We will extend the golf season on the Forest Course to better accommodate the membership.
“Please remember that you will recognize famous faces on property. They are here to work, so autographs and pictures may not be possible. Also, while you may want to take photos of the club during this time, Netflix mandates that nothing can be posted to social media before the premiere of the movie.”
Other than Sandler’s, it’s unclear whose famous faces might grace the property. Presumably some of the original cast — including Christopher McDonald, who played the deliciously smarmy Shooter McGavin in the original “Gilmore” and broke the news of the sequel in a March radio interview — will be back. Sandler also let slip in interviews last month that Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce will appear in the film along with several professional golfers.
Also largely unknown: the sequel’s plot, although Sandler did tell Travis and Jason Kelce on their “New Heights” podcast last month that the film “picks up from an older guy who’s played golf a long time. Some stuff goes on in his life — he’s a little, he’s different. He’s a bit of a mess when you meet Happy. And then we try to get his life cooking again.”
The film’s 2025 release (a date has not yet been announced) will coincide with Fiddler’s 60th anniversary.
“We are planning a year’s worth of events to commemorate this milestone,” the trustees wrote in the memo. “Certainly, the list of events will include a special, complimentary blow-out party showing the premiere of the movie next summer! In the end we want the shared experience to be something that all of us can watch with pride and a smile for many years to come.”
With cameras now rolling on Happy Gilmore 2, it will not be long before viewers get a better glimpse at who may star alongside Saddler. Despite a mixed reception, the original movie has a strong following alongside a surprising appreciation in the golfing community, while Bob Barker appreciated his brief appearance. As such, though Sandler's other filmography can be divisive, the long-awaited sequel should perfectly land with its audience.
