Adam Sandler Explains Carl Weathers’ Role in Happy Gilmore 2 Before Passing

Adam Sandler disclosed in an interview how his upcoming Netflix feature, Happy Gilmore 2, underwent “painful” changes after Carl Weathers’ passing. Weathers played Derick “Chubbs” Peterson in the 1996 original feature. The actor, also known for the Rocky movies, Toy Story 4, and 1987’s Predator, died in 2024.

How Carl Weathers’ Chubbs would have returned in Happy Gilmore 2’s initial script

Sandler revealed in a new interview with Collider that Weathers’ Chubbs had a “massive part” in the first version of the script for Happy Gilmore 2. Following the veteran actor’s death, the screenplay underwent major rewriting.

“We had a painful change. Carl Weathers had a massive part,” Sandler explained. “I would talk to Carl, and we were excited, and then Carl passed away. 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,” he added.

Chubbs, who served as Happy’s coach and mentor, died in the first movie. Sandler mentioned that the character had a son who appeared in Happy’s dream in the initial script for the sequel. “In the first version that we came up with, he had a son,” the actor said. “He was coming back to me a lot in my dreams, and he had a son who was mad at Happy for causing the death of daddy,” he further revealed.

While Weathers’ death forced the filmmakers to change the script, Kyle Newacheck, the director of Happy Gilmore 2, previously told the same outlet that they ensured that Chubbs’ “spirit” is felt throughout the movie.

Sandler penned the screenplay for the original movie with Tim Herlihy. The duo returned to script the sequel. The cast includes Sandler as Happy Gilmore, Julie Bowen as Virginia Venit, and Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin.

Happy Gilmore 2 is scheduled for release on July 25 on Netflix.