‘Happy Gilmore 2’ director Kyle Newacheck.
Premiering July 25th on Netflix is the long-awaited sequel to 1996’s ‘Happy Gilmore’ entitled ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ which once again stars Adam Sandler as the pro hockey player turned PGA tour golfer.
Directed by Kyle Newacheck (‘Murder Mystery’), the movie also welcomes back original cast members Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller, and Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin, as well as new recruits Benny Safdie (‘Oppenheimer’), Bad Bunny (‘Bullet Train’), Margaret Qualley (‘The Substance’), and Haley Joel Osment (‘The Sixth Sense’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Kyle Newacheck about his work on ‘Happy Gilmore 2’, his love for the original, collaborating on set with Adam Sandler, directing non-actors, working with Christopher McDonald, callbacks to the first film, and Sandler’s onscreen chemistry with Bad Bunny.
Related Article: Ben Stiller to Reprise the Role of Hal in Adam Sandler’s ‘Happy Gilmore’ Sequel
Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’. Photo: Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2024.
Moviefone: To begin with, are you a fan of the original ‘Happy Gilmore’ and what was it like to come in and direct the sequel?
Kyle Newacheck: That was truly surreal. So much that I would in my lunch breaks call my brother and be like, “Bro, is this real? Is this real? Is this happening?” He was the one who was like, “You got this. Yes, it’s real and you’re doing it.” Grounding element. There’s also an element of like, “Wow, me? Okay, let’s do it,” and so trust. Trust the instincts, trust the love, trust the skills, and get to work. Roll them up and get to work.
MF: This is the second time you’ve worked with Adam Sandler. What is your relationship like collaborating on set and do you have a shorthand together?
KN: Yeah, I think so. I think we can tell when either of us are maybe not feeling like the scene is up to its potential, and so we will try and pitch to figure out what we can do. I mean, I think we understand each other on a level and partly because I grew up on his movies. I know what he might have in his bag of tricks that he’s looking for, and I also know what he might have in his bag of tricks that we can mess with. I’m a huge fan of his work, and thankfully Adam Sandler is a hard worker. He will put in the work. I think I’m the same way. I work incredibly hard. I really put my whole self into a project, and I think we both have a similar style, where we put our whole selves into a project in the hopes that it will feel effortless. That’s hard to do, but we both try and do that.
(L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and John Daly as Himself in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’. Photo: Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2025.
MF: The film also features a lot of athletes and sportscasters playing themselves like John Daly and Stephen A. Smith. What is it like directing non-actors?
KN: I find it fun. I think it’s exhilarating. Most of the time they come to the table with just, they’re athletes, so they know what the moment is first. You know what I mean? They understand how to perform in the moment, and I connected those dots quickly where it was like, “Well, this guy, he knows what a moment is. He knows how to rise to the moment so basically just expecting that when we’re going to work. Then basically making the set as comfortable as possible for them so that they feel like they can own the moment I think is really the approach. Then helping them out on any little molecular issues that we might have as we get through it.
MF: Christopher McDonald returns in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ as Shooter McGavin. What was it like directing him in his signature role?
KN: I mean, I knew Adam before so I could do that, but Shooter I didn’t know. So, when Shooter showed up, it was like, we’re really doing this. This is really happening. Chris McDonald is just a wonder. He’s a great performer. He always gives you something different and just a genuine good guy. He loves the character of Shooter, loves it. It’s not like one of the characters that he did back in the day. This is his character. He loves it, so he’s great. He’s great. It was awesome.
(L to R) Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin and Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’. Photo: Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2024.
MF: The sequel has many callbacks to the original film, which one was your favorite and were there any cameos you tried to fit in but couldn’t?
KN: Well, I know that there’s not one that I wanted to get in that I wasn’t able to. I think we’re well-covered on that. One of the last ones that we did put in that I think was incredible was the alligators, calling back the alligators. That was a last add. As we were driving around the golf course, we were like, “We should do this,” and I think it worked well. I think it’s one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
MF: Finally, can you talk about working with Bad Bunny and his hilarious onscreen chemistry with Adam?
KN: Yeah, Benito was incredible. I think the first time I framed up a shot on him and his first lines with Adam it was truly undeniable their chemistry and what he was bringing to the character. That character is there on the page, and it has some depth, but I think that Benito put the depth in that character. I feel like he really rounded it out. Yeah, they were just fused. They were working well together, and it was so fun every time. Their interactions outside of the scenes were always pleasant and all that. Sometimes you just get a good pair, and they’re a good pair.
“Happy Gilmore returns!”
Showtimes & Tickets
Revisit Happy Gilmore’s golf career after his win in the Tour Championship. Read the Plot
What’s the plot of ‘Happy Gilmore 2’?
Thirty years after winning his first Tour Championship, retired golfer Happy Gilmore returns to the sport to pay for his daughter Vienna’s ballet school.
Who is in the cast of ‘Happy Gilmore 2’?
- Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore
- Julie Bowen as Virginia Venit
- Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin
- Bad Bunny as Oscar
- Ben Stiller as Hal L.
- Dennis Dugan as Doug Thompson
- Kevin Nealon as Gary Potter
- Sunny Sandler as Vienna Gilmore
- Kym Whitley as Bessie
Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’. Photo: Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2024.
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