Adam Sandler’s sports comedy film Happy Gilmore was a controversial project, as evident in its mixed reviews from critics. It took so many liberties with the rules of golf that even a professional player could not believe the script even existed.
The movie ended up becoming a commercial success, though, and with that, it is getting a sequel. Happy Gilmore 2 has been announced by actor Christopher McDonald.
Professional Golfer Could Not Believe Adam Sandler’s Original Script For Happy Gilmore
Golf pro Mark Lye was hired as Happy Gilmore’s official script consultant and upon reading the paper, he kept crossing out parts that should not be there, probably shaking his head as he did that, and wondering if there was anything they got right. He said via PGA TOUR:
“You gotta be crazy. You cannot do a movie like that. They had the green jacket. They were desecrating the USGA. Making fun of Augusta National. I just said, ‘No, no, no. I don’t think you better go there at all. We can get the same effect by doing our own fictitious event.’ ”
The movie is a comedy and not a documentary or any sort of non-fiction media, so the boundaries of imagination were limitless. After the fifth revision of the script, Lye finally gave his seal of approval.
“They saw what the limits were. I’m not sure about marking the ball with a cookie and eating it, but as far as value and not offending anybody, I think you’re fine.”
Five-time TOUR winner Jimmy Walker found the film hilarious despite the inaccuracies and shortcomings.
“There’s just so much goofy, fun, stupid stuff in that movie. It just made you laugh. I don’t even think you have to be a golfer to enjoy it. It could appeal to everybody just because it was funny.”
The 1996 sports movie helmed by Dennis Dugan surprisingly grossed over $41 million against a meager production budget of $12 million.
Fans Are Getting A Happy Gilmore Sequel
Speaking on Audacy radio show 92.3 The Fan, actor Christopher McDonald revealed that Happy Gilmore 2 is coming very soon. Adam Sandler showed him the rough draft of the script.
“I saw Adam about two weeks ago, and he says, ‘McDonald, you’re gonna love this.’ He shows me the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2. He did show me that, and I thought, ‘Wow, that would be awesome.’ So it’s in the works. Fans, demand it, damn it!”
The director once stated that he could not imagine Sandler wanting to do a sequel to the movie, but it’s always never say never in Hollywood. Now, with McDonald’s positive news, the second installment is coming together.
In the first movie, Sandler plays an unsuccessful hockey player who becomes a golf sensation with the help of his mentor, Chubbs, portrayed by the late Carl Weathers. The comedian and Tim Herlihy, with whom he shared a lot of past collaborations, penned the script.
Happy Gilmore is available to watch via Apple TV.
