Adam Sandler is the newest resident of New Jersey—at least temporarily.
The comedy icon and his family have moved to the Garden State for the time being while he is here filming Happy Gilmore 2 this fall, New Jersey Monthly has confirmed.
Sandler, 58, was said to have looked at houses in places like Montclair and Llewelyn Park (the historic gated community in West Orange where Whoopi Goldberg lives) for himself, his wife Jackie, and their younger daughter, Sunny. His older daughter, Sadie, recently started her freshman year at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts—her father’s alma mater.
Sandler, Jackie and Sunny—who appeared last year in the Netflix comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah alongside Sadie—have been spotted all over the Garden State in recent weeks. Sandler’s been everywhere from Goldberg’s World Famous Deli & Bagels in Millburn, where he posed for photos with the owners, to the swanky French restaurant Faubourg in Montclair, to the Montclair Golf Club, where we hear he ate lunch with his daughter.
Adam Sandler visited Lokl in Morristown earlier this month. He’s pictured here with George Stogioglou, the son of the café’s owner. Photo: Courtesy of Lokl Café
Sandler’s been spotted twice at the small coffee shop Lokl Café in Morristown, where he stayed for quite a while, says owner Panos Stogioglou.
“We were very excited about it. It was a nice surprise,” he says. “He was super friendly and was there for a long time, taking pictures with all the staff.”
Last month, the sequel to the 1996 hit comedy Happy Gilmore held an open casting call at the Hyatt Regency in Morristown, where people came out in droves for a chance at background work.
The flick is set to shoot in Bergen, Essex, Monmouth, Morris and Somerset counties from September through November.
The original movie was about an unsuccessful hockey player (Sandler) who learned he had a talent for golf.
The sequel’s cast is set to include Bad Bunny and Travis Kelce alongside Sandler, as well as Julie Bowen, of Modern Family fame, and Christopher McDonald, who will both reprise their roles.
The film is being directed by Kyle Newachek, who also directed Sandler in Murder Mystery with Jennifer Aniston in 2019. Sandler is also a writer on Happy Gilmore 2.
Happy Gilmore 2 is officially in production, according to Netflix’s social media accounts, which recently showed a shot of Sandler in costume. Sandler shared the post on Instagram and wrote: “It ain’t over. The way I see it… we’ve only just begun.”
Filming already took place at Steve’s Burgers, a popular spot on Route 46 in Garfield, as well as in locations in Montclair and South Orange. Reports have said the movie will film at the high-end country club Fiddler’s Elbow in Bedminster, which has a beautiful golf course.
One Montclair family rented their house out to the production crew for the next several months, New Jersey Monthly has learned.
In recent years, an influx of movies and TV shows have decided to film in New Jersey after Governor Phil Murphy reinstated generous tax incentives for projects shooting in New Jersey, giving Jersey the nickname of “Hollywood East.”
Sandler has been nominated for three Grammys, five Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. Last year, Sandler was awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Sandler is known for his distinctive style of dressing. In fact, in 2021, Vogue named him the year’s fashion icon for popularizing the “grocery-run look,” which includes wearing oversized T-shirts, XXL-sized pants and Nike sneakers.
We’re sure he’ll fit in just fine here in New Jersey.
No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.