Adam Sandler and Netflix have been quite cozy with one another over the last half decade thanks to the streaming service’s deal with the Saturday Night Live alum and his Happy Madison Productions company. Sandler and Netflix are keeping their partnership going for the foreseeable future, and today it was announced that his next movie for the platform will involve him working with NBA icon LeBron James.
Adam Sandler has been tapped to star in Hustle, a basketball drama that will be directed by We the Animals’ Jeremiah Zagar, while Taylor Materne and Will Fetters wrote the script. Hustle sees Sandler playing an American basketball scout who is unjustly fired and subsequently finds a talented basketball player while traveling abroad. Sandler’s character then brings the athlete to the United States to prove that they both have what it takes to make it in the NBA.
Happy Madison Productions will produce Hustle alongside LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment and Roth/Kirschenbaum Films. Netflix acquired Hustle from Legendary and pitched it to Adam Sandler. After Will Fetters polished the script and Jeremiah Zagar was brought on to direct, that was when Sandler signed on.
Although Hustle is being lined up as Adam Sandler’s next movie for Netflix, it’s unclear when it will start filming, as the current health crisis has forced a lot of film and TV productions to press the pause button. Variety also reports that Sandler may end up shooting another movie before Hustle “if the right opportunity presents itself,” but either way, he’s definitely on board for the project.
Adam Sandler appeared last year in Murder Mystery and Uncut Gems, both of which were distributed by Netflix, although the latter was released theatrically in the United States and is finally dropping on the streaming platform stateside next week. Murder Mystery collected a lot of views during its first weeks of availability, and a sequel is in the works. Uncut Gems was met with critical acclaim and accolades, including Sandler winning an Independent Spirit Award.
Ahead of Hustle, Adam Sandler will be seen later this year in Hubie Halloween, where he plays a good-natured, yet eccentric community volunteer who finds himself embroiled in a murder case on Halloween night. Sandler also has an animated movie in the works for Netflix which he’ll write, produce and star in.
As for LeBron James, he’s been building an impressive film and TV resume over the last several years with the likes of Trainwreck, Smallfoot, The Shop and more. Next year, he’ll star alongside the Looney Tunes in Space Jam: A New Legacy, just like Michael Jordan did more than two decades ago in the original.
As soon as any other major updates concerning Hustle come in, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know about them.
