Adam Sandler says ‘we’ve only just begun’ as sequel to best-loved comedy film starts production

’We’ve only just begun,’ actor said

Adam Sandler has announced the start of production on a follow-up to one of his best-loved films.

In 2020, the Hollywood star signed a first-look deal with Netflix, worth a reported $275m (£209m), that has led to acclaimed credits including Hustle and You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, which broke a Rotten Tomatoes for the actor.

Only now is the streaming service producing a sequel to an old Sandler movie, with the actor set to reprise his role of Happy Gilmore in time for the film’s 30th anniversary.

On Monday (9 September), Netflix confirmed that Kyle Newachek, who directed Sandler in Murder Mystery, will oversee the film that’s been written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy. Dennis Dugan directed the original.

“Happy Gilmore 2 is officially in production,” Netflix’s official social media accounts shared, showing a first glimpse of Sandler’s costume from the film. Sandler himself shared the post on Instagram, writing: “It ain’t over. The way I see it… we’ve only just begun.”

Released in 1996, sports comedy Happy Gilmore follows an ice hockey player with anger management issues who realises he can channel that anger towards major pro golf wins. He faces off against an arrogant opponent named Shooter McGavin, played by Christopher McDonald.

Happy Gilmore grossed $41m (£31.3m) worldwide on a production budget of $12m (£9.1m), and remains one of Sandler’s most popular films.

Rumours of the sequel first surfaced in March when McDonald said Sandler had written and shown him a draft for the sequel.

“I saw Adam about two weeks ago, and he says to me, ‘McDonald, you’re gonna love this,’” McDonald said in a radio interview on Audacy’s 92.3 The Fan.

“I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘How about that’, and he shows me the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2 … I thought, ‘Well, that would be awesome.’ So, it’s in the works. Fans demand it, dammit!”

Adam Sandler’s costume in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ (X/Twitter)

A month later, Drew Barrymore said on her talk show that she had “breaking news”. She told the audience: “I’ll just say this, from my source, that [Happy Gilmore 2] is in process.”

Sandler has suggested on multiple occasions in the past that he’d be interested in returning as Happy Gilmore.

In 2022, he said on Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast that he had an idea about involving a senior golf tour.

“Wouldn’t that be fun to do the senior tour of Happy Gilmore, and hang out with all those guys and try to write a great script about Happy as an older guy, and having to calm down his temper and all that stuff? But, I never know. Maybe one day, something like that,” Sandler said.

On The Dan Patrick Show last month, Sandler alluded to something that was a little more than just a “fun” thing to do, saying: “Dude, we’ve been talking about a Happy 2 and we’re working on some stuff…But don’t tell anybody.”

Adam Sandler in ‘Happy Gilmore’ (Universal Pictures)

There’s no information yet on which of the film’s other stars, if any, will be returning for the sequel, who will direct it or when it will be released.