Josh Hart Could Join Knicks Superfan in Happy Gilmore 2
New York Knicks superfan Ben Stiller is getting ready to extend arts and crafts to another decade.
Stiller has strongly implied that he's set to reprise one of his most memorable roles, hinting at inclusion in the upcoming sequel to "Happy Gilmore." The 58-year-old actor went uncredited for his role in the 1996 sports comedy, where he portrayed a supporting antagonist in the form of a mustachioed senior home orderly who harasses the grandmother of the titular character portrayed by Adam Sandler.
Stiller hinted at his involvement in an X post, as @Cincodesinko asked him if he would return to the role. The Emmy Award winner replied that he was "warming the glass," referencing his character's heel turn early in the film: when Gilmore's grandmother (Frances Bay) asks for a glass of warm milk, Stiller drops his friendly demeanor and offers "a warm glass of shut the hell up" instead.
Though the character is unnamed in the film, his name tag reads "Hal L." Stiller previously reprised the role in another Sandler comedy, 2020's "Hubie Halloween."
Stiller may have some metropolitan company this time around, as an open casting call for the sequel in Morristown, NJ drew the interest of Knicks forward Josh Hart.
"No previous experience? I might have to pull up," Hart remarked in an X post quoting the call.
Despite a somewhat tepid critical response, "Happy Gilmore" has amassed a major cult following and remains one of Sandler's most beloved films. Sandler stars as a good-natured but easily agitated hockey player whose slapshot-style swing turns him into a legend on the professional golf circuit. The film became especially well-known for a comedic fight scene between Sandler and "The Price is Right" host Bob Barker, which took home the inaugural MTV Movie Award for Best Fight.
The sequel has not yet set a release date but is set to be streamed on Netflix. Sandler recently confirmed during an appearance on "The Tonight Show" that filming will begin "in a couple weeks" in New Jersey and that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will make a cameo appearance in the film.