Adam Sandler fans got some great news recently, when it was reported that one of the best movies of the 1990s was reportedly getting a sequel. The Sandman has supposedly penned a first draft of the script for Happy Gilmore 2, and it turns out that Drew Barrymore is just as excited about that as anyone. In fact, she so badly wanted the report to be true that she texted her friend during a taping of The Drew Barrymore Show for confirmation, and was able to report “breaking news” from Sandler himself.
Drew Barrymore and the former Saturday Night Live comedian go way back, as she has co-starred in a trio of Adam Sandler’s best rom-coms, and when she heard reports that he was possibly reprising his role as the hockey player-turned-golfer, she gushed, “I want it. I need it.” While filming her talk show, Barrymore told her audience that she reached out to Sandler after rewatching another classic, Billy Madison with her daughter, saying:
I sent Sandler a video of that, and then he sent me another video back, and I'm waiting to see if he's confirming about the Happy Gilmore 2 script.
As she watched her phone for a response, she recalled how Christopher McDonald — who played one of the meanest villains from ‘90s movies, Shooter McGavin — said that Adam Sandler had actually shown him a first draft of the Happy Gilmore 2 script. Then she got the text she was waiting for, reading the message silently before relaying to the audience:
This just in, I have breaking news. I'll just say this, from my source, that it is in process. There is a process, and that process is in process.
It was pretty clear that Adam Sandler’s response said more than Drew Barrymore was able to divulge, because she got a little tight-lipped and careful with her words there, but it does seem like she accomplished what she set out to do in confirming straight from the source that a sequel to one of the best golf movies ever is in the works.
First rumblings of the potential Happy Gilmore 2 came just weeks before the cast suffered a big loss. Joe Flaherty — who played the fan who riled up the titular golfer in the 1996 comedy by repeatedly calling him a “jackass” — died April 1 at age 82. Upon hearing the news, Adam Sandler and more paid tribute to the comedic veteran. Flaherty’s passing came just two months after Carl Weathers’ death, with the football and acting legend having played the golfer’s coach Chubbs in Happy Gilmore.
There’s no way to know what plans Adam Sandler had for their characters in the sequel, if any, but either way I can’t imagine it was easy to lose two members of that family in such a short timespan.
I’m also struck by Drew Barrymore’s continued relationship with Adam Sandler. I love that she still takes time to watch his classics like Billy Madison, and in January she became so emotional rewatching The Wedding Singer that she posted a video of herself bawling and expressing love for the Sandman and the movie they made.
As we wait for more updates on the sequel, you can always go back and revisit the 1996 classic, as Happy Gilmore is available to stream with a Netflix subscription, a Peacock subscription or on Starz via an Apple TV+ subscription.
