UPDATE: It looks like Christopher McDonald was right about Adam Sandler working on the script for Happy Gilmore. Sandler’s fave co-star and longtime pal Drew Barrymore confirmed, in a clip from today’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, that the sequel is indeed happening. “I want it. I need it. And I stayed up last night with my daughter watching Billy Madison,” says Barrymore, adding later, “I’ll just say this, from my source, that it is in process.”
Barrymore famously starred with Sandler in three movies, The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates and Blended. The two have remained close over the years, with Sandman frequently turning up on her show. While he’s mostly focused on drama recently, including the recent Netflix film Spaceman, Happy Gilmore 2 would likely be warmly received by fans, especially if co-stars Christopher McDonald and Julie Bowen return.
Original Post:
Tap, tap, tap it in! It might be time to grab a nine iron and wash your balls because, according to Shooter McGavin actor Christopher MacDonald, Adam Sandler is developing Happy Gilmore 2! During an interview with Audacy’s 92.3 The Fan, MacDonald said he recently spoke with Sandler, who surprised him with a script for the duo’s 1996 sports comedy.
“I saw Adam [Sandler] about two weeks ago, and he says to me, ‘McDonald, you’re gonna love this,'” McDonald said. “I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘How about that,’ and he shows me the first draft of ‘Happy Gilmore 2.’ 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!”
Heh. Good luck keeping this out of the news, Mr. MacDonald. You’re right about fans demanding a sequel to the film featuring fisticuffs with Bob Barker, and there’s no putting that cat back in the golf bag.
While Variety has contacted Sandler’s reps, they’ve not received a comment.
While Happy Gilmore 2 could find several actors returning, including MacDonald, Julie Bowen (Modern Family, Hubie Halloween), Allen Covert (Grandma’s Boy, The Wedding Singer), and perhaps Joe Flarety (Detroit Rock City, Freaks and Geeks), key members of the original cast have unfortunately passed on.
Frances Bay, who plays Happy’s Grandma in Happy Gilmore, died in 2011, while Richard Kiel, who played Happy’s frenemy-turned-fan, Mr. Larson, passed in 2014. Then there’s the late and great Carl Weathers, who played Happy’s friend and coach, Chubbs. The iconic Carl Weathers died of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in February, delivering an emotional haymaker to the Hollywood community. Chubbs passes away in the second act of Happy Gilmore, though his character returns in spectral form at the film’s conclusion. Sandler may pay tribute to Weathers in Happy Gilmore 2, which would be a nice touch.
While we await Sandler’s confirmation about Happy Gilmore 2, tell us in the comments below if you’d tee up for a sequel to the 1996 comedy in the comments section below.