Adam Sandler Offers ‘Happy Gilmore’ Sequel Update

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(Left) Adam Sandler in ‘Happy Gilmore’. Photo: Universal Pictures. (Right) Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce. Photo: Travis Kelce’s Instagram Account.

Preview:

Adam Sandler says the ‘Happy Gilmore’ sequel starts filming soon.
NFL star Travis Kelce has a role, as does Sandler’s ‘Uncut Gems’ director Benny Safdie.
And Kelce has also signed on to a new action comedy.

We’ve known for a while that Adam Sandler has quietly been planning a sequel to one of his biggest hits, golf comedy ‘Happy Gilmore’.

Netflix is backing the new effort, and Sandler has now confirmed that it’ll start shooting soon and that the likes of Kansas City Chiefs tight end (and in wider pop cultural terms, Taylor Swift’s current beau) Travis Kelce and Benny Safdie, who directed Sandler in ‘Uncut Gems’ will both have roles.

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Revisit Happy Gilmore’s golf career after his win in the Tour Championship, Read the Plot

What was the story of ‘Happy Gilmore’?

Adam Sandler in ‘Happy Gilmore’. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Happy Gilmore (Sandler) has long aspired to be a hockey player. Despite a powerful slapshot, Happy’s inability to skate and his volatile behavior excludes him from being accepted by any hockey team. Furthermore, Happy’s grandma is being evicted from her home after failing to pay her taxes.

After playing with some golf clubs and learning he can shoot golf balls far distances, he decides to join the PGA Tour in an effort to win money to buy back his grandmother’s home. Happy’s bad-boy image attracts a loyal following, but also attracts the attention of Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), the favorite to win the PGA Tour who is worried that Happy’s rise to stardom will undermine his shot to win.

Along the way, he’s helped by Carl Weathers’ one-armed mentor, Chubbs and trades blows with ‘The Price is Right’ host Bob Barker.

What’s the latest news on ‘Happy Gilmore 2’?

Adam Sandler in ‘Happy Gilmore’. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Appearing on ‘The Tonight Show’, Sandler talked up the schedule for the new movie:

“We’re going to do ‘Happy Gilmore.’ This is happening. We’re getting ready to shoot it in New Jersey. We start in a couple weeks. It’s good. We worked hard on the script. We didn’t want to let anybody down. People have been asking me for a long time. We’re really excited about it. We wrote our asses off. So many of the golfers are being nice and will be a part of it.”

And thanks to efforts from Kelce himself (a dedicated fan of the original) and fans of the player, he’ll have a role.

Here’s what Sandler said on that front:

“Travis… he mentioned it, so we have a nice something for Travis. He’s gonna come by. He’s a very nice guy. You guys would love him in real life. What a big, handsome guy. Funny and cool as hell. He’s a stud and he’s so funny.”

As for Safdie, who has been known for a dual career directing movies alongside brother Josh (though they’re both currently focused on solo projects) and acting, he’ll also crop up, with Sandler telling Indiewire that he’ll “have a juicy part” in the movie.

Where else will we see Travis Kelce?

(L to R) Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Photo: Travis Kelce’s Instagram Account.

Kelce has been busy trying to spin his NFL and Swift-adjacent celebrity into a showbiz career, even as he continues to see success on the field (his Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl this year).

He already has one established gig as the host of Prime Video’s ‘Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?’ quiz show and executive produced dark comedy ‘My Dead Friend Zoe,’ which premiered at SXSW and will be in theaters this coming November.

Now he’s expanding into acting roles. He has one in the can already, ‘Grotesquerie,’ the new horror drama from Ryan Murphy, which premieres on FX on September 25th.

The show focuses on a series of heinous crimes that have unsettled a small community and Detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betts), who feels these crimes are eerily personal, as if someone — or something — is taunting her.

Kelce’s role in that is as yet unknown.

But he’s also now looking to take a leading role, snagging the star part in a new action comedy that has some solid backing, according to reporter Jeff Sneider.

‘Loose Cannons’ is the latest production from ‘John Wick’ overseer Chad Stahelski. While he isn’t likely to direct it, the fact that his 87Eleven company is involved means the set pieces should at least be inventive and impressive.

And there’s also a Sandler connection to this one too, albeit a loose one: Timothy Dowling, who has worked with the comedy star on several movies, wrote the ‘Loose Canons’ script, which is being kept under wraps for now.

But if we were to shove our speculation hat on, that title could refer to wayward guns gone missing, or possibly an out-of-control law enforcement officer.

Whatever the story, it’s in development at Lionsgate, but will likely have to cool its heels until Kelce’s schedule opens back up; an expanded cameo in a Sandler film is one thing –– the Kansas City Chiefs are kicking off the 2024 NFL regular season on September 5th.