Following the massive success of Happy Gilmore 2, Netflix is officially reuniting with Adam Sandler for another sequel to one of his biggest hits. One of the most unexpected comedy franchises around just got an update we didn’t expect for a while. Critics may not have exactly treated it like sacred text, but audiences have kept returning to its particular mix of old friends, dumb jokes, family chaos, and a very successful comedian basically building a summer vacation around a movie shoot.
Netflix has confirmed that Grown Ups 3 is officially in development. The new film will be directed by Kyle Newacheck, with Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy writing the script. Sandler, Jackie Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, and Herlihy will produce, while Kevin Grady and Judit Maull are executive producing.
The original Grown Ups was released in 2010 and followed a group of childhood friends who reunite after the death of their old basketball coach. The film became a major commercial hit, grossing more than $271 million worldwide, before spawning Grown Ups 2 in 2013, which also performed strongly with more than $247 million worldwide. So, yes, the critics were not in the tank for these movies, but the box office absolutely was.
The original cast included Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore, Uncut Gems) as Lenny Feder, Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, The King of Queens) as Eric Lamonsoff, Chris Rock (Top Five, Everybody Hates Chris) as Kurt McKenzie, David Spade (Tommy Boy, Joe Dirt) as Marcus Higgins, Rob Schneider (The Hot Chick, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo) as Rob Hilliard, Salma Hayek Pinault (Frida, Eternals) as Roxanne Chase-Feder, Maria Bello (A History of Violence, Prisoners) as Sally Lamonsoff, Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, Loot) as Deanne McKenzie, and Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire, Fargo) as Wiley. Casting for the third film has not yet been announced.
Why Is ‘Grown Ups 3’ Happening Now?
The simple answer is that Sandler’s Netflix era has been huge. His movies have become some of the streamer’s most reliable crowd-pleasers, and Grown Ups already has the kind of broad, low-maintenance comedy appeal that plays extremely well at home. This is not a franchise built around intricate mythology or a multiverse of lake-house dads. It’s built around familiar faces, easy laughs, and the comfort of watching a group of comedy stars hang out and annoy each other for 90 minutes.
Newacheck previously worked with Sandler on Murder Mystery, one of Netflix’s biggest original comedy hits, and has a strong background in ensemble comedy through Workaholics and What We Do in the Shadows. That makes him a sensible fit for a franchise where the chemistry between the cast is basically the whole machine. Surely the majority of the cast will return, too. But for the moment, we know Sandler‘s involved, and we’re about to get some more manchild chaos.
Grown Ups 3 is officially in development now.
via Collider