Adam Sandler has spoken candidly about the 'painful change' necessitated by the passing of Carl Weathers before the release of Happy Gilmore 2. The sequel, which arrived on Netflix this week, sees Sandler reprise his role as the hot-headed golfer after years of anticipation.
Weathers, best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series, was memorable in the original film as Happy's mentor Chubbs Peterson, complete with a wooden hand following an alligator attack and a dramatic exit through a window after encountering the same beast. Chubbs was set to reappear in dream sequences in the follow-up, but Weathers' unexpected death last year at 76 meant Sandler had to make significant changes to the script.
Speaking to Collider, Sandler revealed: '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.'
Despite the setback, Sandler ensured Weathers was honoured in the sequel. A graveyard scene features Chubbs Peterson's grave, while comedian Lavell Crawford appears as Slim Peterson, Chubbs' son, who also has a wooden hand – lost in a vending machine mishap rather than to an alligator.
The graveyard setting also serves as the backdrop for a brawl between Happy and Shooter, who has been confined to a mental institution for 30 years. A tombstone for Bob Barker, who died in 2023 and had a memorable fight scene in the original film, is also included as a tribute.
