'Happy Gilmore 2' trailer gives fans 1st look at beloved Adam Sandler character's return to golf ahead of its summer release

The wait is over! Fans hungry for Happy Gilmore 2, the sequel to Adam Sandler’s 1996 golf comedy, can mark their calendars for its Netflix premiere on July 25.

A new trailer for the movie shows Sandler reprising his role as a former hockey player who channels his temper into golf.

The sequel features callbacks to the original film, an all-star cast and some surprising additions, like Bad Bunny. The trailer also features appearances from pro golfers including John Daly, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau.

Returning cast members include Julie Bowen, who played Happy’s love interest Virginia Venit in the original, Christopher McDonald as Happy’s longtime rival, Shooter McGavin, and Ben Stiller, who played a sadistic nursing home orderly in the original film.

What we know about the plot

The trailer, released March 18, hints at Gilmore’s attempt to revive his golf career.

“I haven’t swung a club in years,” he says. “I don’t know where to start.”

Acknowledging the passing of time, he adds, “I guess I need to update my happy place to something a little more age-appropriate.”

Bowen’s character returns to offer encouragement.

“We’re not done with golf,” she tells him. “Let them see the Happy I fell in love with.”

In an April 2024 interview on The Dan Patrick Show, Sandler revealed that he was collaborating with his longtime writing partner and college roommate, Tim Herlihy, on the sequel, but remained tight-lipped on specifics.

“We're working on it. Me and Herlihy are diligently trying to make a reason for everyone to come and watch and have a good time,” he said. “We’ve been jamming, we have a million ideas already, we just gotta make it a movie and make sure we’re excited about people enjoying it.”

Sandler also confirmed that the film will honor key figures from the original, including Bob Barker, Carl Weathers and Joe Flaherty, who have since passed away.

“We love those guys, they’re such a big part of the movie and such great people,” he explained. “We’re going to get them involved somehow.”

Who’s behind Happy Gilmore 2?

The original Happy Gilmore creative team is back for the sequel. In addition to Sandler's co-writer Herlihy, the director of the original film, Dennis Dugan, serves as executive producer.

Producers Jack Giarraputo and Robert Simonds, who worked on the first film, are also back. Kyle Newacheck joins the team to direct the sequel, reuniting with Sander after directing him in the 2019 Netflix film Murder Mystery.

How the sequel came together

In September 2024, Sandler posted a photo teasing the film on Instagram.

“It ain’t over,” he wrote, alongside the Bruins jersey his character wore in the original film. “The way I see it… we’ve only just begun.”

McDonald was the first to divulge that a sequel was in the works.

“Here’s a quick intel,” McDonald said, appearing on The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima in March 2024. “I saw Adam [Sandler] two weeks ago … he shows me the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2 … It’s in the works. Fans demand it, damn it!”

In his April 2024 interview with Patrick, Sandler explained that he told McDonald, "We've been talking about a Happy 2 and we're working on some stuff. ... But don't tell anybody." When Patrick joked that Sandler shouldn’t have trusted him with the news, Sandler replied, “Well, I was excited that Shooter was in the room with me, I love him.”

The actor, now 58, continued, “We love Happy Gilmore, we don't want to let anybody down. People have talked to me about this for many years. ... We're going to work hard and make sure it's good.”

McDonald wasn’t wrong to say fans are invested. One of Sandler’s longtime collaborators and friends, Drew Barrymore, was also eagerly awaiting more details on the film.

In an April 2024 episode of her talk show, Barrymore mentioned the possibility of a Happy Gilmore 2, saying “I want it, I need it," in reaction to the news of the sequel. “I stayed up last night with my daughter watching Billy Madison, and then I sent Sandler a video of that and then he sent another video back and I’m waiting to see if he’s confirming about the Happy Gilmore 2 script.”

Barrymore then announced her “breaking news. … I’ll just say this, from my source, that it is in process.”

Who’s in the Happy Gilmore 2 cast?

Netflix has confirmed an impressive lineup of stars appearing in Happy Gilmore 2, including:

• Adam Sandler

• Christopher McDonald

• Julie Bowen

• Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny)

• Travis Kelce

• Conor Sherry

• Ethan Cutowsky

• Maxwell Jacob Friedman

• Philip Fine Schneider

• Rory McIlroy

• Scottie Scheffler

• Bryson DeChambeau

• Brooks Koepka

• Justin Thomas

• Will Zalatoris

• Ben Stiller

• Blake Clark

• Paige Spiranac

• Sunny Sandler

• Sadie Sandler

• John Daly

Remind me — what’s Happy Gilmore about?

The original film follows an unsuccessful hockey player with a fiery temper who unexpectedly discovers a talent for golf. His unorthodox run-up swing makes him a standout, and he enters a tournament in a desperate bid to save his grandmother’s home.

For the film’s 25th anniversary, Bowen told Yahoo that she didn’t expect the film to hit as strongly as Happy’s golf swing: “At the time I just thought, ‘Oh, no one will ever see this,’” Bowen said. “I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

— Laura Clark contributed reporting