Bailee Madison and Deon Cole are set to join grown-ups 3, giving the Netflix comedy a wider ensemble before cameras even roll. The third film already has Adam Sandler and returning franchise regulars attached, so the new casting adds another layer to a project built around an established comedy brand.
Bailee Madison at 11
Madison brings a specific Sandler connection into the cast. She previously appeared in Just Go With It when she was 11 years old, and she also worked on Roommates opposite Sadie Sandler. That kind of crossover is useful for a franchise that leans on familiar chemistry as much as it does on premise.
Her recent credit in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin makes her one of the younger additions to a roster already led by Adam Sandler. In a sequel business, that mix matters: it gives the film a way to refresh the ensemble without breaking the identity that made Grown Ups recognizable in the first place.
Deon Cole and Netflix
Cole arrives with a different lane. He is best known for his Netflix stand-up specials Ok, Mister, Charleen’s Boy and Cole Hearted, landed the title role in BET+ series Average Joe, and was most recently seen in The Madness opposite Colman Domingo. He also played Don King in Michael.
That range gives Grown Ups 3 another comic voice with platform visibility. For Netflix, the casting keeps the film aligned with performers who already have audience familiarity across film, streaming, and stand-up, which is a practical way to extend reach before the title is even in release shape.
May rollout
Netflix said in May at its upfronts that the third film was moving forward with Kyle Newacheck directing. Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy wrote the script, while Sandler, Jackie Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, and Tim Herlihy will produce the film. Kevin Grady and Judit Maull are set as executive producers.
David Spade, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, Kevin James, and Salma Hayek are set to return, which means the cast is expanding rather than resetting. That is the point of this announcement: the film is still building around a known core instead of starting from zero.
Plot stays hidden
Plot details for grown-ups 3 are still unknown, so the casting news is doing the work the story itself is not yet ready to do. The open question now is simple: what roles Madison and Cole will play inside that returning ensemble, and how much new ground the film is willing to cover around the familiar one.
