Sequel in the Works for One of Adam Sandler's Biggest Comedy Hits
Christopher McDonald, who played villainous yuppie Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, revealed that a sequel to the 1996 classic is “in the works.” On the radio program Audacy’s 92.3 The Fan, McDonald confirmed that star Adam Sandler recently showed him a first draft of the screenplay.
“I saw Adam about two weeks ago, and he says to me, ‘McDonald, you’re gonna love this,'” the actor recalled. “I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘How about that,’ and he shows me the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2.”
McDonald was hesitant to make any hard promises to fans, however, since a script doesn’t necessarily guarantee a finished film. “Maybe you should cut that out [of this interview], because I don’t wanna be a liar,” McDonald stipulated, “but he did show me that, and I thought, ‘Well, that would be awesome.’ So, it’s in the works. Fans demand it, dammit!”
The original Happy Gilmore was one of Sandler’s breakout movies, and it remains one of the comedian’s most well-known efforts. It grossed an impressive $41 million worldwide on a $12 million budget.
McDonald, who’s an active golfer at Pro Am and charity games, has reprised his role of Shooter over the years at a number of sporting events. In 2022, he appeared at Atlanta’s Tour Championship for a media event in honor of the video game PGA Tour 2K23, in which Shooter McGavin is a character.
“There’s far more to McDonald than Shooter, but you’ve got to give the people what they want, and in a weird blurring of the lines between fact and fiction McDonald was seemingly in character throughout his time at the media event,” Paste marveled.
In 2017, McDonald played McGavin in a series of videos for Golf.com.
The actor has also been known to embody Shooter during fan encounters, even at the risk of putting off his most ardent admirers.
True Story ???? pic.twitter.com/YQB7gDdzQP
— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) December 7, 2022
Though playing Shooter McGavin ensured McDonald would embody little more than villainous yuppies throughout the following decade, he has nothing but appreciation for the character and Happy Gilmore.
“I’ve had some favorite roles,” McDonald told The Fan, “[but] I gotta say [Shooter is in the] top three…People loved to hate the Shooter. I love that.”