Happy Gilmore 2is shaping up to be a very different movie than the classic original – and that’s a good thing, because it means it won’t just be a rehash of the first one. Nearly three decades after the original film was released in 1996, Adam Sandler is returning to his iconic role as a rage-filled golfer for a sequel toHappy Gilmore. The sequel is set up at Netflix, with Sandler reprising his role as Happy, Christopher McDonald reprising his role as Shooter McGavin, andJulie Bowen reprising her role as Virginia Venit.
They’ll be joined by newcomers Benny Safdie, Nick Swardson, and Bad Bunny, and Travis Kelce is set to make a cameo appearance. Kyle Newacheck, who previously directed Sandler in 2019’sMurder Mystery, is on board to helm the sequel. Sandler has co-written the script with his original co-writer Tim Herlihy andproduction onHappy Gilmore 2is currently underway. As the sequel is starting to take shape,it’s becoming apparent thatHappy Gilmore 2will be a very different movie than its predecessor – and that’s a promising sign, because the worst sequels are afraid to try new things.
Happy Gilmore 2: Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know
The original is one of the funniest films of Adam Sandler’s career but will Happy Gilmore 2 ever happen? Here’s what we know about the sequel.
Happy Gilmore 2 Can’t Repeat The First Movie’s Underdog Story
It Doesn’t Make Sense For Happy To Be The Underdog Again
Like many great sports movies,Happy Gilmoreis a classic sports underdog tale. Happy is a wannabe hockey player who consistently gets rejected at every tryout. When he finds that his rageful approach to hockey transfers to golf, he enters a golfing tournament in a bid to win enough money to buy back his grandmother’s foreclosed home. It has all the elements of a quintessential underdog story: a bid for a sporting championship against the odds, a player who’s seemingly outmatched by most of his peers, and a high-stakes reason to win the gold.
Happy Gilmore 2 Is Guaranteed To Shatter An Adam Sandler Record After 28 Years
Development on Happy Gilmore 2 is underway, and the Happy Gilmore sequel is guaranteed to shatter an Adam Sandler record after 28 years.
Butgiven Happy’s success at the end of the first movie, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to be the underdog againin the sequel. InRocky II, Rocky Balboa could continue to be the underdog, because he didn’t win his fight against Apollo Creed in the first film. Once Rocky became a successful boxer, the franchise let go of its underdog story and instead focused on Rocky grappling with the foibles of fame.TheHappy Gilmoresequelneeds to do something similar. Since Happy can’t be the underdog anymore,the sequel needs to find its conflict elsewhere.
Adam Sandler Should Give A Different Performance In Happy Gilmore 2
Happy Changed A Lot Throughout The First Movie
AlthoughHappy Gilmore 2is cashing in on the success and endearing popularity of the original movie, Sandler can’t just repeat his performance from the first one. He’s hilarious inHappy Gilmore, juxtaposing the white-hot rage of the hockey rink with the classy decorum of the golf course, but the character changed a lot throughout the film. As the first movie goes on,Happy mellows out a bit and learns to control his ragea bit more. After falling in love and taking the golf tournament seriously, Happy begins to mature and cool off.
Sure, Happy Gilmore 2 Sounds Fun - But Adam Sandler’s Best Movie Future Is Being Ignored
While a Happy Gilmore sequel is long overdue and should be great, Sandler’s recent dramatic performances indicate he may want to pivot from comedy.
Anger is one of Sandler’s go-to areas for comedy, and he’s great at playing temper tantrums for laughs, butalmost 30 years later, is that really what the character should be?Happy Gilmore 2should probably retain a bit of Happy’s rage and include a couple of his signature tantrums, so that it still feels like the same character. But overall, Sandler’s portrayal of Happy should be a little more nuanced in the sequel. Sandler has grown a lot as an actor in those three decades, so he can pull off a more multidimensional performance as Happy.
Happy Gilmore 2 Being Very Different Is Good For Adam Sandler’s Sequel
Happy Gilmore 2 Needs To Be More Than Just A Rehash Of The Original
Happy Gilmoredoesn’t need a sequel, so as long as Sandler and co. are making one,it has to be more than just play-the-hits nostalgia bait.Sandler doesn’t do many sequels; outside ofGrown Ups 2,Murder Mystery 2, and a couple ofHotel Transylvaniasequels, he’s left most of his films alone. None of the movies he’s made sequels to in the past have been considered one of his all-time classics likeHappy Gilmoreis.
Sandler produced, but did not star in, previous sequels likePaul Blart: Mall Cop 2,Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, andJoe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser.
So, for Sandler to be risking ruining one of his best movies by making a sequel, he needs a much better reason than just relying on the audience’s nostalgia. IfHappy Gilmore 2just rehashes the original, then it’ll be another underwhelming legacy sequel, tarnishing the reputation of a beloved classic.Happy Gilmore 2needs its own identity separate from its predecessor.
Happy Gilmore 2
Cast
Happy Gilmore 2 sees the return of Adam Sandler in his iconic role as the retired golfer who steps back onto the green to support his daughter’s passion for ballet. Released in 2025, the film explores Gilmore’s renewed journey in golf to finance her dreams.
