Thirteen years after Grown Ups 2, Adam Sandler and his comedy crew are finally getting back together.
Netflix has officially started filming Grown Ups 3, and the first look is exactly what longtime fans were hoping for: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider back together.
The sequel has been talked about for years, but this time there is no speculation. The movie is in production.
Netflix confirmed the start of filming in New Jersey on August 6, along with a first look at the returning cast.
Grown Ups 3 Brings Everyone Back
The biggest reason to be excited about Grown Ups 3 is simple: the original crew is returning.
Sandler is back as Lenny Feder, alongside Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider. Salma Hayek Pinault, Maya Rudolph and Maria Bello are also returning.
That’s a particularly notable reunion because Schneider did not appear in Grown Ups 2.
Netflix has also added several new faces, including Julie Bowen, Deon Cole and Bailee Madison. Shaquille O’Neal, Nick Swardson, Cheri Oteri, Colin Quinn, Ellen Cleghorne and Tim Meadows are also returning to the franchise.
In other words, this isn’t a sequel trying to rebuild the group.
The group is already back.
The Kids Are Grown Up Now
There’s one major change this time around.
The title is finally catching up with the characters.
The official premise teases a story where the friends’ children have grown up, giving the longtime buddies the freedom to embark on a new adventure together.
That gives the sequel a natural way to move the franchise forward without simply repeating the first two movies.
The original Grown Ups followed five childhood friends and their families during a Fourth of July weekend. Grown Ups 2 reunited them in their hometown.
Now, more than a decade later, the characters are older — and apparently still haven’t learned how to behave.
Adam Sandler Is Writing and Producing
Sandler isn’t just returning in front of the camera.
He is co-writing Grown Ups 3 with longtime collaborator Tim Herlihy, who also worked with Sandler on the previous movies.
Kyle Newacheck is directing the sequel. Newacheck previously directed Sandler’s Netflix comedy Happy Gilmore 2, making this another collaboration between the filmmaker and the actor.
Sandler is also producing the movie alongside Jackie Sandler, Jack Giarraputo and Herlihy.
Why Netflix Is Betting on Grown Ups 3
There’s another major difference between this movie and its predecessors.
Grown Ups 3 is heading directly to Netflix.
The first two movies were theatrical releases through Sony. The original Grown Ups earned more than $270 million worldwide in 2010, while Grown Ups 2 followed with another strong global run in 2013.
The move to Netflix makes sense considering Sandler’s long-running relationship with the streamer.
Sandler has already delivered several Netflix projects, including Murder Mystery, Hubie Halloween, Leo and Happy Gilmore 2.
Now one of his most recognizable comedy franchises is joining the lineup.
When Will Grown Ups 3 Be Released?
Here’s where fans will have to be patient.
Netflix has not announced an official release date yet.
Filming is currently underway, with production taking place in New Jersey. Reports on the production schedule indicate that filming will continue into the fall, so a finished movie is still some distance away.
That means any specific 2026 or 2027 release date circulating online should be treated cautiously until Netflix makes it official.
For now, the important news is that production has begun.
A Lot Has Changed Since Grown Ups 2
The last Grown Ups movie arrived in theaters in 2013.
That’s a 13-year gap between sequels.
The actors have obviously changed since then, and so have their careers. Sandler has moved comfortably between broad comedies, dramatic films and Netflix projects, while Chris Rock, Kevin James and David Spade have continued building their own careers across film and television.
The world around the franchise has changed, too.
But that long gap might actually work in the movie’s favor.
For audiences who grew up watching the first two films, seeing the entire group together again could make Grown Ups 3 as much a nostalgia event as a new comedy.
The First Look Is Already Getting Fans Talking
Sandler’s first-look photo has given fans their first official glimpse of the reunion, and the reaction is exactly what you’d expect from a franchise that has been dormant for more than a decade.
The appeal isn’t complicated.
It’s Adam Sandler with his friends.
It’s the same group of characters.
And it’s another excuse to throw them together and see what kind of trouble they can create.
Netflix clearly knows what audiences are coming for.
The streamer isn’t reinventing Grown Ups. It’s bringing the gang back.
The Bottom Line
After years of rumors, Grown Ups 3 is finally real.
The original stars are returning, filming has begun, Sandler is back behind the scenes with Tim Herlihy, and Netflix is taking the franchise into its next chapter.
There is still no official release date, and the full plot remains under wraps.
But for fans of the first two movies, the most important update has already arrived:
The grown ups are back.