Adam Sandler has confirmed that the script for the upcoming Happy Gilmore 2 required significant rewrites following the death of original cast member Carl Weathers.
Speaking recently, Sandler explained that Weathers, who memorably played one-handed golf mentor Derick “Chubbs” Peterson, was set to have a substantial role in the sequel before his passing last year at age 76.
“We had a painful change. Carl Weathers had a massive part,” Sandler shared. “We had to rewrite a lot of the stuff, and even what the story was. We made a lot of nice references to how great Chubbs was in the movie. That was the biggest change.”
Sandler disclosed that the initial plot involved Chubbs appearing to Happy in dreams and featured a son who held Happy responsible for his father’s death. “In the first version that we came up with, he had a son,” he said. “He was coming back to me a lot in my dreams.”
In the 1996 film, Chubbs was a pro golfer forced to retire after an alligator bit off his hand. Following Weathers’ death, Sandler paid tribute to his co-star on social media, calling him “a true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete.”
Directed by Kyle Newacheck, Happy Gilmore 2 is set to premiere on Netflix on July 25. The film will see the return of original cast members Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, and Ben Stiller. They are joined by newcomers including Bad Bunny, Margaret Qualley, Benny Safdie, Travis Kelce, and Kym Whitley.
