- Pair reunite after starring in the original Happy Gilmore together
- Stiller was uncredited for his role as Hal L the nursing home orderly in the 1996 original
- Bad Bunny and Travis Kelce are also set for roles in the new Netflix sequel
Fans of Happy Gilmore should start getting very, very excited. The upcoming sequel has been filming in New Jersey and will see the return of one of the finest uncredited roles in cinema history (I am offering fist fights for people disagreeing with this).
Check out the name tag. We’re in Hal L’s world now.
Everybody’s favourite psychotic, elder bullying, arts and crafts time enthusiast will be returning for the second instalment of Happy Gilmore, with pictures of Ben Stiller in full orderly wardrobe, name tag and all, doing the rounds online this week.
Stiller was uncredited for his role in the original 1996 classic, so it’s unclear whether this will be the case for the Netflix sequel or if Hal will in fact factor into the upcoming Gilmore in a more substantial manner. To be honest, I’m more than happy with another quick couple of scenes of him threatening to put someone’s grandma to sleep before an air conditioning unit falls on someone.
The Old Gang Is Back Together
Alongside Stiller and Sandler, there will be a huge crossover element present in the new Happy Gilmore, with Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce and AEW wrestler MJF all confirmed to have parts in the sequel.
Christopher McDonald will, thankfully, be returning as Shooter McGavin while Modern Family star Julie Bowen will also be reappearing as Happy’s love interest, Virginia Venit. Benny Safdie, who directed Sandler in 2019’s much heralded Uncut Gems, is also set to star.
Details of the script surrounding Happy Gilmore 2 have not been revealed as of yet, with Sandler keeping details close to his chest. The Big Daddy star has previously revealed in interviews that he had no interest in making a sequel for a long time, but eventually, alongside Tim Herlihy, came up with a script that he believed would do justice to the original, almost 30 years on from it’s original release.
The original Happy Gilmore was one of several high-profile successes in the 1990’s that cemented Sandler as one of the biggest comedic actors in the world, alongside Jim Carrey and Mike Myers. The 1996 golf-comedy was directed by Dennis Dugan who, like Herlihy, has been a frequent Sandler collaborator, working on The Waterboy, Billy Madison, The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, Pixels, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Just Go With It, Jack and Jill and both Grown Ups films with the former Saturday Night Live star.
Dugan will not be returning to direct Happy Gilmore 2, however, with Workaholics creator and What We Do In The Shadows director Kyle Newacheck attached to helm the film, this time.
(h/t Variety)
