Happy Gilmore 2 is set to be released on Netflix this weekend after nearly three decades since the first hit film came out in 1996. The highly anticipated comedy sequel, which premieres on Friday July 25, sees the return of unconventional golfer Happy, played by Adam Sandler , who comes out of retirement to fund his daughter Vienna's ballet school, who is portrayed by the actor's real life daughter, Sunny Sandler. While the original iconic cast are set to return including Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller, there will be one famous face missing. Carl Weathers, who famously played Chubbs Peterson, the mentor to Sandler’s Gilmore, in the 1996 film passed away last year at 76-years-old. Sandler has revealed the sequel to Happy Gilmore had to be rewritten following the death of the Rocky and Predator star. Speaking to Collider, Sandler revealed that although Peterson died in the original film, he had planned to bring Weathers back for a significant role in the sequel film. Sandler said: “We had a painful change. Carl Weathers had a massive part.” The 58-year-old former Saturday Night Live star continued: “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. We made a lot of nice references to how great Chubbs was in the movie. That was the biggest change.” When asked what role Weathers' character would have played in the film, Sandler explained: “In the first version that we came up with, he had a son. "He was coming back to me a lot in my dreams, and he had a son who was mad at Happy for causing the death of daddy.” Much of the original cast are returning for the new film. Modern Family star Julie Bowen revealed earlier this month that she hadn't expected to be asked to return. Bowen played Virginia Venit who is a rep for a professional golf tour and the protagonist’s love interest. Speaking on the Inside of You podcast, Bowen revealed that she had assumed she’d be written out of the sequel. She said: “I didn’t think they’d bring me back at all. I mean, who am I supposed to be? "He’s got to have a younger woman in this one, Happy Gilmore 2.” She added that while she expected to get less screen time, Sandler repeatedly told her not to downplay the importance of her role in the film. She said: “Adam’s like, ‘Stop saying that. You’re the heart of the movie'." Netflix announced last year that Sandler would be returning for his role as Gilmore, an ice hockey player with anger management problems who realises he can channel that anger into major pro golf wins. Newcomers Benny Safdie and Bad Bunny join the cast, along with a thrilling array of cameos and guest appearances from Travis Kelce, Margaret Qualley, Eminem and several professional golfers.