Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison banner have produced numerous successful raunch-coms over the years, but even his most ardent supporters weren't all that impressed with the actor's last two movies (Jack and Jill and That's My Boy) - judging by the drop-off in box office revenue.

If you thought that might've been enough to encourage Sandler to try something different, it appears as though you were correct (well, sorta). The funnyman's next starring vehicle (after Grown-Ups 2, that is) is going to be a western comedy titled Ridiculous Six, a riff on The Magnificent Seven.

Deadline reports that Ridiculous Six will begin production next April for a Spring Break 2014 release, with Paramount Pictures replacing Sony as the studio backer. The site mentions that Sony's 'departure' could be attributed to a couple of factors, such as their recent financial issues and involvement with Sandler's last two under-performing movies (not to mention, the studio is preparing to begin production on Ghostbusters 3 next summer).

Ridiculous Six, as it were, is being co-written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, a fellow SNL alum who's fresh off writing Grown-Ups 2 (the first Sandler sequel, actually) and helped to script several of the actor's most popular movies from the 1990s (The Waterboy, Wedding Singer, Big Daddy) as well as his breakout comedies Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore. However, he also worked on Little Nicky and Bedtime Stories, so take all that for what it's worth.

Adam Sandler Jack and Jill
Adam Sandler as 'Jack and Jill'

Disney hopes to re-invent the western as a blockbuster with international appeal in next year's Lone Ranger, while MGM has been putting together a remake of The Magnificent Seven rumored to boast a cast of big-name actors. That is to say, the timing is on Sandler's side - as far as poking fun at the genre in Ridiculous Six - be it a spoof in the vein of Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles, a broad farce along the lines of The Three Amigos, or something in between.

You may think me crazy for hoping that Ridiculous Six could be more inspired than Sandler's recent by-the-numbers comedies, but it would be nice to see him return to the creative outlandishness that earned him a strong following in the first place. He's also going to make a Candy Land movie somewhere down the line so, who knows, maybe it'll prove to be more than just a pipe dream (but I'm not holding my breath).

More on Ridiculous Six as the story develops.

-

Source: Deadline