Dugan, who will serve as executive producer on Happy Gilmore 2, will reprise his role as golf tour commissioner Doug Thompson from the 1996 comedy. Kyle Newacheck is directing the new film, which is currently in production and has yet to announce a release date.
Sandler will reprise his role as Happy Gilmore, a character who appeared in the original as an unsuccessful hockey player but who becomes an unexpected golfing sensation thanks to his incredible tee shot. Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen and Ben Stiller are reprising their roles from the original film, and new cast members include Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny, Margaret Qualley and Scott Mescudi, with Travis Kelce and golfer John Daly making cameos. Sandler, Tim Herlihy, Robert Simmons and Jack Giarraputo return as producers on the sequel. Sandler and Herlihy wrote the screenplay for Happy Gilmore 2 after penning the screenplay for the original film.
Dennis Dugan (seated), producers Sid Ganis and Adam Sandler on the set of Big Daddy. Courtesy of Everett
Universal released Happy Gilmore on February 16, 1996, and it has since become a cult hit and one of Sandler's most popular titles. Dugan has since directed many other successful comedies, including Big Daddy, Chuck & Larry, Don't Mess with the Zohan, and The Head of My Imaginary Wife and Kids and its sequels. Dugan has also directed films such as Problem Child, Beverly Hills Ninja, and National Security.
Most recently, he wrote and directed the comedy Love, Weddings & Other Disasters, starring Diane Keaton, which was released in theaters in 2020. He wrote and starred in the one-act play The Audition, which was produced in New York City earlier this year.
Dugan began his entertainment career as an actor. In addition to making cameo appearances in many of his own projects, he also appeared in the 2024 film Knox Goes Away starring Michael Keaton and the Spanish-language feature Father There Is Only One 4.
In a previous interview with THR, Dugan recalled his failed attempt to cast the not-yet-famous Sandler in the role of the 1992 film Brain Donor. When Dugan met with Sandler and the rest of the original Happy Gilmore team years later to introduce himself as a director, the star immediately acknowledged Dugan's previous support, and the filmmaker got the job without saying a word.
Sandler says, 'You!' And I say, 'You!'" Dugan recalled. "He said, 'You stood up for me, that's why I'm making this movie.'"
Dugan is represented by Gersh. A representative for Netflix declined to comment on casting for "Happy Gilmore 2."
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