Adam Sandler has a number of beloved movies on his long resume, including Happy Gilmore. The 1996 sports comedy (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) is arguably one of Sandler’s best rom-coms, thanks to the title character’s love story with Julie Bowen’s Virginia Venit. She reprised that role for Happy Gilmore 2, and recently spoke to CinemaBlend about her reaction to the OG movie’s lingerie scene… and how it factored into the sequel.
What we knew about Happy Gilmore 2 has been limited ahead its release on Netflix, with Sandman and the gang trying to guard the long-awaited sequel’s secrets. That includes the way Virginia is used, a huge twist comes her way early on in the Adam Sandler movie. As you can see in the video above, I had the privilege of speaking with the cast ahead of the sequel’s release, where I asked Bowen about that iconic lingerie scene from the original. She told me:
the Modern Family star wanted to sign onto the 1996 original.
Happy Gilmore 2 is chock-full of easter eggs and references to the original movie, with Sandler even using the same soundtrack. We also briefly see OG Virginia back in the lingerie, with current-day Bowen getting to share a scene with her younger self. In our same interview, she spoke more about that iconic scene, sharing:
I’ve always seen that as hilarious and funny and a sendup of sex pinups. I never felt objectified by that at all. So when it’s coming back I was like ‘I don’t know if I can still put it on.’ That’s the only thing I was afraid of.
Of course, Bowen didn’t actually have to suit back up in the white lingerie. Or if she did, it ended up on the cutting room floor. Instead we got to see both version of Virginia share the screen together. And it was yet another way that Happy Gilmore 2 feels like a love letter to the original.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Julie Bowen was only featured briefly in Happy Gilmore 2’s trailer, and it becomes clear early onto the movie. Still, it’s exciting that so many original actors are back for the sequel, including Christopher McDonald, Kevin Nealon, Dan Patrick and Verne Lundquist. In our interview Julie Bowen further shared her support of Virginia’s appearance in the “Happy Place”, telling me:
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I always felt completely respected and in control of all of it.
Anticipation for the long-awaited comedy is high, and the original Happy Gilmore has been trending on Netflix ahead of its release. Julie Bowen returning as Virginia proved to fans that the spirit of the first movie would continue, and I can tell you there are countless references and easter eggs to the first one.
Happy Gilmore 2 will arrive on Netflix on July 25th as part of the 2025 movie release list. We’ll just have to see if the movie inspires Adam Sandler to produce more sequels to his beloved ’90s hits like Billy Madison or The Waterboy.
Pike and M’Benga get locked inside the abandoned outpost, sieged by a horde of zombies trying to get inside. One of the Klingons hunting the pair is swarmed by the zombies, torn apart, and devoured. (I can’t imagine the Klingons consider that an honorable way to go.)
Ever since George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” turned zombies into go-to movie monsters, their onscreen portrayals have varied. The Kenfori-zombies are the fast-moving kind, not lumbering dullards. Tying their origin to plants also feels pulled from “The Last of Us.” In that video game/TV series, the zombies aren’t actually undead. Instead, the story suggests what would happen if the real cordyceps fungus evolved from possessing ants to possessing human beings. The set for the abandoned outpost on Kenfori, filled with plant growths containing half-devoured human remains, resembles both “The Last of Us” and Alex Garland’s sci-fi film “Annihilation.”
The existence of movies in the future of “Star Trek” is contentious. By the 24th century, cinema appears to have lost any cultural relevance in favor of the holodeck’s interactive storytelling.
Given Pike and M’Benga’s familiarity with “the Z-word,” one has to assume that zombie movies (or at least books) still exist in the 23rd century, though. “Star Trek: Enterprise” showed that, at the very least, humans are still watching James Whale’s “Frankenstein” movies in the 22nd century. Are they still watching George Romero pictures in the 23rd?
Wherever Pike and M’Benga learned about zombies, it wasn’t from their “real” world. Yes, somehow, “Star Trek” has never done proper, undead zombies before. The franchise has done vampires, witches (“Catspaw”), and even devils (“Devil’s Due”), but not zombies. The closest thing to zombies in “Star Trek” before “Shuttle to Kenfori” was in the “Enterprise” episode “Impulse.” In that episode, the Enterprise NX-01 crew comes across a wrecked Vulcan ship, the Seleya. The ship discovered a mineral, trellium-D, that is toxic to Vulcans, making them less intelligent and violent. When the Enterprise gets to the Seleya, the crew have degenerated into an unrelenting horde.
Like how “Shuttle to Kenfori” seems influenced by “The Last of Us,” “Impulse” (which aired in 2003) nods to the then-recent “28 Days Later” with its fast zombies that aren’t actually zombies, just people infected by a “rage virus.” “Star Trek” has and always will be set in the future, but it connects its audience to the future by drawing on their present. You can track that by which movies which “Star Trek” series chooses to homage.
“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” is streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes of the ongoing third season premiering on Thursdays.
A lot of Hulk Hogan tributes have dropped the leg over the last day or so, but none have hit me harder than what The Rock posted this morning. The biggest movie star in the world just posted a video and lengthy tribute to his WrestleMania X8 opponent, and as a huge wrestling fan, it’s difficult to get through without getting emotional.
For those of you outside the wrestling bubble, Hulk Hogan and The Rock had one of the most famous and beloved wrestling matches in the history of the business all the way back in 2002. The Rock was the ascending star, in his prime and ready to become the face of the entire business. Hulk Hogan was nearly fifty and slowing down. The two put on a classic that’s still cited as the WrestleMania standard for crowd reaction to this day. You can check out The Rock’s post below…
has frequently referenced it as one of the moments that made him.
That’s professional wrestling, and no one will ever represent wrestling more than Hulk Hogan. Ric Flair may have won more world championships. The Rock and John Cena may have achieved a lot more in Hollywood. Many, many guys may have surpassed his technical in-ring skill, but no one has ever made more people turn and look at professional wrestling than Hulk Hogan. No one has ever been able to get more people to tune in and care about what’s happening. More than 30 million people watched The Hulkster and Andre The Giant on network TV in the late 80s because he made people care.
The Rock grew up in the wrestling business, but you can tell from his story about catching Hulk’s headband that, like millions and millions of kids in the 80s, he was in awe of Hulkamania. Hogan was on a different level. He was the main event and the attraction people came to see, and he built a special bond with a significant percentage of kids of a certain age. He made them feel something watching wrestling, and ultimately, that’s the entire point.
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If you read a lot of tributes from fans, so many of them are the same. They were a kid in the 80s, they went to a live show and they had some tiny interaction with Hogan that mattered so much. They caught his headband or gave him a high five or saw him at the grocery store and he took a moment to be kind and interact. Decades later, they still remember, and as wrestling fans, we’ll never forget how he made us feel.
I can’t wait to watch The Rock and Hogan at WrestleMania X8 and relive the glory later today.
After Bill Paxton’s passing in 2017, the Twister star left behind a cinematic legacy of some of the most beloved films of all time. However, acting wasn’t his only priority in life, as he was a dedicated family man with two children, including James Paxton, who has embarked on an acting career of his own. James recently revealed he had the opportunity to work with his dad before his passing in a sweet tribute he posted on social media, and it’s a shame we never got to see more of these two together on screen.
James Paxton revealed in an Instagram post that he is often asked if he had the opportunity to work with his dad professionally, and indeed, they had. They had a small part together in a TV adaptation of Training Day where James Paxton played part of a robbery duo. He acted opposite his father, but was not playing his son at the time. He expressed how special it was for him and his father to connect in this way, saying:
I’ve been asked if I ever had the chance to work with Dad on screen professionally before he passed, and luckily we had one sweet opportunity to do so in the fall of 2016 in an episode of his TV adaptation of TRAINING DAY. I had just finished 4 months of filming EYEWITNESS in Canada, and there was a great guest starring role in episode 8 to play as part of a father/son robbery duo opposite Louis Herthum.
Bill Paxton was the lead. The actor passed away only a year after the series aired, and Training Day is one of his last projects before his death. James revealed that he and his father actually discussed wanting to work together more, as he found the moments he shared with his dad as an actor a special part of their relationship. He continued:
He made a cameo in Twisters as an homage to Paxton’s starring role in the original film, and played a younger version of Paxton’s character in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
While he sees himself as an individual, James is clearly proud to be his father’s son and isn’t shying away from the association. Paxton was beloved, with many stars, like James Cameron, penning tributes to the True Lies actor following his passing, and his son seems to understand what a weight carrying on this legacy is. Tributes like this make me wish we had more of an opportunity to see this father/son duo on screen in other ways, especially as James grows as an actor in his own right.
Fans of Bill Paxton who want to revisit his work should check out our feature on some of the Tombstone star’s best characters of all time. You can also see James Paxton in DRAGN, which is a sci-fi film directed by Peter Webber that is set to release later this year. For more information on other titles heading to cinemas in the near future, make sure to consult our 2025 movie schedule.
(L to R) Renny Harlin, Courtney Solomon, Madelaine Petsch pictured with the strangers at San Diego Comic-Con 2025.
Preview:
‘The Strangers – Chapter 2’ attended San Diego Comic-Con 2025 ahead of its September release.
Director Renny Harlin, Producer Courtney Solomon, and star Madelaine Petsch were in attendance.
The filmmakers and star reveal behind-the-scenes details about the upcoming film.
The upcoming horror film, ‘The Strangers – Chapter 2’, came to San Diego Comic-Con 2025 ahead of the September 26, 2025 release. The film follows three masked maniacs who return to finish the job after they discover one of their victims is still alive. With nowhere to run and no one to trust, Maya (Madelaine Petsch) soon finds herself in a brutal fight for survival against psychopaths who are more than willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.
“Survival was just the beginning.”
On the final day of their cross country road trip, a couple’s vehicle breaks down, forcing them to take refuge in a remote Airbnb. As night falls, three masked strangers… Read the Plot
Director Renny Harlin (‘Die Hard 2’, ‘Exorcist: The Beginning’), Producer Courtney Solomon (‘Arthur the King’), and star Madelaine Petsch (‘Riverdale’) spoke with Moviefone about their new film, revealing the challenges of filming Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 at the same time. They also tease Maya’s arc and evolution through the next two movies.
Related Article: Renny Harlin Talks ‘The Strangers: Chapter 1’ and the Franchise’s Future
‘The Strangers – Chapter 2’ Will Explore The Evolution Of Maya From Victim To Final Girl
‘The Strangers – Chapter 2’ Panel At San Diego Comic-Con International 2025 at San Diego Convention Center on July 24, 2025 in San Diego, California. Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
Producer Courtney Solomon discusses how Maya will evolve through the next two chapters, explaining that we have seen her as a victim, and she is going to become so much more than that.
Courtney Solomon: We did ‘Chapter One’ for the reason we did ‘Chapter One’. It is what it is and she is a victim. But what if, unlike a normal final girl, where in act one of the movie, suddenly they’re killing everybody. Is that really real? I’m not saying it’s not fun. I love those movies. Don’t get me wrong. But what we were trying to do is say, how long would that really take? So let’s just make her a victim in the first movie. Even then, a normal person goes to kill another person, even to defend themselves. How easy is that transition in real life? If you lined up 100 people, how many would really do it? How many would really have the guts to pick up a knife and stab you in the chest and kill you? So actually, we’re deep in character in chapter two and chapter three. You’re seeing somebody that by the end of this thing, and also just for how disturbing the original Strangers was, Chapter two is intense as hell, but it’s a bridge. Chapter three is really disturbing and twisted in a really good way.
Madelaine Petsch Filled A Binder with Notes To Stay On Track While Filming
‘The Strangers – Chapter 2’ Panel At San Diego Comic-Con International 2025 at San Diego Convention Center on July 24, 2025 in San Diego, California. Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
Madelaine Petsch admits that the most challenging part of filming one large movie, that is being released in three parts, at the same time, was trying to keep everything straight. They did not film back-to-back, but rather one on top of each other.
Madelaine Petsch: Honestly, making sure I understand where I am in the story. But the minute I walked into it being one long film, one insatiably long film, I was able to really understand how to break down the character. But it was really about making sure that I was constantly in the right development and right stage of her at all times. So I had like probably 150 pages of notes. And that’s me being conservative. I brought a thick binder to set every day. That was like, OK, today we’re shooting scene two from movie three. Let me go back and look at what happened. I had all these notes of everything that was going on so I could always make sure I knew I was informed by the decisions she’d made previously, but also did not know what was coming next.
Director Renny Harlin Was Thrilled To Expand The Lore Of The Strangers
‘The Strangers – Chapter 2’ Panel At San Diego Comic-Con International 2025 at San Diego Convention Center on July 24, 2025 in San Diego, California. Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
Getting to expand on the lore of the Strangers is something that Director Renny Harlin was most excited to explore.
Renny Harlin: We wanted to make a four and a half hour movie that is broken into three chapters that really in an extraordinary way gets to explore, first of all, the victim and what happens to a person who gets brutally attacked like this and how far can they go until they snap. And then also to explore the strangers in this case and not to tell the audience everything about them and give reasons like, oh, why are they doing this? Because serial killers, they are random killers. They don’t do it for revenge or any normal reason like that. But to be able to expand all these things was just a fantastic opportunity.
(L to R) Renny Harlin, Madelaine Petsch and Courtney Solomon at San Diego Comic-Con 2025.
