Next week, Adam Sandler fans will finally get the movie sequel they’ve been waiting for. Happy Gilmore 2 will come to Netflix on July 25, and in addition to a host of celebrity cameos that we expect to see, several of the favorite characters from the first film will also return. Unfortunately, one important character will be conspicuous by his absence.
Carl Weathers, who played Chubbs Peterson in the first Happy Gilmore, passed away in 2024 and thus was not able to be part of the sequel. Speaking with Collider, Sandler reveals that Weathers’ death forced huge changes in the new movie, as Chubbs was originally set to be a significant part of the sequel. Sandler said…
We had a painful change. Carl Weathers had a massive part. 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.
It sounds like the version of Happy Gilmore 2 we will watch with a Netflix subscription when it premieres on the 2025 movie schedule is a very different film from the one we would have gotten if Carl Weathers were still with us. Adam Sandler says the entire story had to change following Weathers' death. While Chubbs will still be in the movie in spirit, as the SNL alum says, the character will be referenced throughout the movie, things had to change when the character couldn’t be on camera.
Adam Sandler revealed an early idea for Happy Gilmore 2, that actually would have included the character of Chubbs having died, but also would have required Carl Weathers' participation. The star says the original concept for the film would have focused on Chubbs’ son, but would have also included Chubbs himself in a series of dream sequences. Sandler said…
In the first version that we came up with, he had a son. 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.
It’s unclear if this was the concept for Happy Gilmore 2 when Carl Weathers passed away, or if this idea had already been changed or scrapped before that point. Happy Gilmore 2 had been rumored for years prior to its official announcement, and likely went through a lot of changes. Either way, things had to change once Weathers died, forcing what sounds like a complete overhaul into the movie that we’re getting.
The Happy Gilmore 2 trailer reveals that actor Lavell Crawford will be playing the son of Chubbs Peterson, who will also have a prosthetic hand like his father. The scene confirms that Chubbs has passed away. There’s also a scene with the returning Shooter McGavin that appears to take place in a cemetery, which might also be a scene dealing with Chubbs.
While Carl Weathers may not be part of Happy Gilmore 2 as originally intended, the actor will clearly be remembered in the story and missed by the fans.
