Netflix announced during its Upfront presentation on Wednesday that Grown Ups 3 is officially in the works. Ending years of fan speculation and rumors. Cast members David Spade and Kevin James had previously teased the project, but this marks the first time Netflix has officially acknowledged it.
The original Grown Ups was directed by Dennis Dugan. The story centered on five boyhood friends reuniting after the death of their beloved basketball coach. The film was a massive success, surpassing $270 million at the global box office. Its 2013 sequel, Grown Ups 2, was still very successful, grossing $247 million worldwide.
Grown Ups 3 will be directed by Kyle Newacheck, who previously helmed the Sandler-Netflix projects Murder Mystery and Happy Gilmore 2. Happy Gilmore 2 set a Nielsen record with 2.89 billion minutes viewed on Netflix within its first week of release. Newacheck is quickly becoming Sandler’s most trusted director on the platform.
Who’s Back For Grown Ups 3?
Grown Ups 2 scribes Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy reteam to write the threequel. Adam Sandler, Jackie Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, and Herlihy are producers, while Kevin Grady and Judit Maull are executive producers.
Sandler, Spade, James, and Chris Rock are set to return. The new film is set to reunite all of the major players from the original films, including the returning Grown Ups 2 absentee Rob Schneider. No official casting confirmation has been released by Netflix beyond Sandler himself.
As for the story, details remain largely under wraps. A since-removed synopsis suggested the gang would be heading to Europe. However, a Netflix source tells Empire that no plot details are confirmed as of yet.
Netflix is the natural destination for the next film in the series. This is due to Sandler being under a production deal with the platform for over a decade. This partnership has already resulted in 10-plus films and various other projects. Since 2015, he has made movies almost exclusively for Netflix, including Murder Mystery (2019), Hubie Halloween (2020), and Happy Gilmore 2 (2025).
There was speculation last year that a third Grown Ups movie might finally happen, with James mentioning that fans “can keep hope alive.” During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter after Happy Gilmore 2‘s streaming success, Herlihy hinted that more sequels could follow. He said, “This throws it open,” then added with a laugh, “Definitely not sure we want to just be in the business of doing sequels to movies.”
Grown Ups 3 does not have a release date, nor has a production window been confirmed. Given the pace of Sandler’s Netflix output, fans likely won’t be waiting too much longer.
