- Happy Gilmore sequel coming three decades later
- Happy reunites with old foe, Shooter McGavin
- Eminem plus many more special guest appearances
Almost three decades since its release, Happy Gilmore is getting a sequel. Adam Sandler and Netflix will be delivering Happy Gilmore 2 this year, with Sandler reprising his role as the former hockey player-turned-golfer in the comedy.
Read more: First set photos of Ben Stiller from Happy Gilmore 2 emerge online
The news first came when Sandler took to Instagram on 25 December, 2024 to wish everybody “Happy Chanukah! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And Happy Gilmore to all!!!!!!”. The clips show Happy swinging balls again in his Bruins jersey and also coming face to face with old foe, Shooter McGavin.
There’s been hints that several special guest stars are set to appear in the sequel, including some former pro golfers and one of the Kansas City Chiefs footballers (no points for correctly guessing who).
Read more: Becky Lynch films supporting role for Happy Gilmore 2
With anticipation building for the follow-up to one of Sandler’s best ever comedy movies, let’s take a look at everything we know so far.
Who is starring in Happy Gilmore 2?
Sandler returns as failed ice hockey player Happy. He’s also co-written the movie alongside his frequent collaborator, Tim Herlihy. The pair have co-written the likes of comedy hits Billy Madions (1995), Big Daddy (1999), Little Nicky (2000) and Pixels (20015).
Other returns include Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin, Happy’s arrogant golf star nemesis, while Julie Bowen reprises her role as reporter-turned-love interest, Virginia Venit. Dennis Dugan also reprises his role as Doug Thompson, the commissioner of the pro golf tour, as does
Ben Stiller is also confirmed to return as Hal L, the retirement home orderly who torments the elderly. Stiller’s appearance in the first film went uncredited, but his scenes remain one of the most talked about to this day with his ridiculously cut-throat attitude.
Allen Covert is back as homeless caddy, Otto. Covert’s first film role was a cruise ship bartender in Sandler’s 1989 film Going Overboard, which also was Sandler’s first cinematic appearance. Since then he’s regularly appeared in minor roles for Sandler comedies, including Mr. Deeds (2002), Anger Management (2003), and 50 First Dates (2004).
Rapper Bad Bunny, who is reported to play Happy’s caddie and Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce are set for minor roles. Maxwell Jacob Friedman aka AEW wrestler MJF, Scott Mescudi aka rapper Kid Cudi, Golden Globe nominee Margaret Qualley, Benny Safdie, who worked with Sandler on Uncut Gems (2019), comedian Nick Swardson and up and coming actor Conor Sherry have all been cast in undisclosed roles.
As per SportBible, legendary rapper Eminem has also filmed scenes for the sequel and is a huge fan of the original film. Other cameos include football player Reggie Bush, talk show host Dan Patrick and WWE wrestler Becky Lynch. There’s also a whole host of special appearances from golf professionals, including Rory McIlroy, Jack Niklaus and Brooks Koepka.
Sandler is well known for including unlikely cameos in his comedies, so we can definitely expect a few surprises too.
What’s the sequel about?
Netflix hasn’t announced any plot details, and the teaser clip doesn’t reveal much – other than that Happy can still swing a golf club and a few familiar faces are back. Still, it looks promising.
When Sandler spoke to Travis and Jason Kelce on the brothers’ New Heights podcast in August 2024, he said “[The movie] 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”.
It’s a vague insight and considering that Happy Gilmore resolved itself by the end of the film – Sandler isn’t really a fan of doing sequels – anything can be expected in the follow-up. An ageing Happy taking part in a seniors tournament sounds a lot fun, but we’ll have to wait until a full-length trailer is released to find out more details. For now, it remains a bit of an exciting mystery.
When is Happy Gilmore 2 released?
Production on Happy Gilmore 2 wrapped in December 2024, just a few months after filming began. Adam Sandler confirmed this in an interview on The Dan Patrick Show. However, there’s still no official release date.
On March 6, 2025, Deadline published an article about Conor Sherry’s role in the film, listing July 25, 2025, as the release date. Netflix has yet to confirm this.
For now, all we can safely say is Happy Gilmore 2, directed by Kyle Newacheck is slated for a Summer 2025 release.
